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Photographic Discovery of Phoebe

When: 18 March 1899
Where: Boyden Station of the Carmen Alto Observatory near Arequipa, Peru
Part of: Event of 1899: Phoebe, the ninth-known moon of Saturn, is discovered by U.S. astronomer William

William Henry Pickering discovered Phoebe on 18 March 1899 by analyzing photographic plates taken in August 1898 at the Boyden Station near Arequipa, Peru.

Pickering identified Phoebe as Saturn's ninth-known moon through analysis of photographic plates captured by DeLisle Stewart starting on 16 August 1898. This event marked the first time a natural satellite was discovered photographically, establishing a new method for astronomical observation.

Sources

Phoebe (moon) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28

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