  Neptune was telescopically discovered by Johan Gottfried Galle and Heinrich
Louis d'Arrest in Berlin on 23 September 1846 based on the prediction by Urbain
Jean Joseph Le Verrier. The role German astronomers played in the discovery has
often been overshadowed by the controversies that erupted in England and France
after the discovery. However, their role was crucial, not only in bringing
about the discovery in the first place, but also in resolving some of the
post-discovery controversies that erupted around priority for the prediction
and naming of the planet. German astronomers in Central and Eastern Europe
possessed some of the best telescopes of the day and had established themselves
over several decades as being at the forefront of observational astronomy. They
had produced the star charts that in the end proved indispensable for allowing
identification of the planet, while a German publication, Astronomische
Nachrichten, published by H. C. Schumacher in Altona, in the vicinity of
Hamburg, then part of the Kingdom of Denmark, served as the journal of record.
The general neglect of the German part of the story is most strongly attested
by the inaccuracies concerning what actually happened on discovery night, which
were long propagated in the English-speaking literature. Notably, for 30 years
after the discovery, it was not appreciated that there were two observers,
while the role of the sky map used was often exaggerated. This chapter sets
forth a more complete picture, and in particular emphasises more than previous
accounts the critical role of d'Arrest, arguing that he should be celebrated as
a co-discoverer. In addition, evidence presented here, much of it not
previously available in the English-speaking literature, shows that the name
"Neptune" was eventually accepted throughout the scientific community based on
German precedents.
