GAUSS, Carl Friedrich.

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Theoria motus corporum coelestium in sectionibus conicis solem ambientium. First edition, communicating his groundbreaking method of orbit determination based on ellipses. This innovation enabled astronomers to relocate the "lost" dwarf planet Ceres in December 1801, "a remarkable feat that cemented Gauss's reputation as a mathematical and scientific genius" (Norman). Theoria also contains Gauss's contentious priority claim for the discovery of the method of least squares. The controversy was triggered by Gauss's assertion that he had been using the technique since 1795, angering the mathematician Adrien-Marie Legendre (1752-1833), who published it in 1805. "Gauss never backed down from his contention that he had discovered the method first. Although not entirely conclusive, the preponderance of evidence suggests Gauss was telling the truth. Colleagues of Gauss agree that he had explained least squares to them and there are calculations in his notebooks that likely could not have been done by any other method. Gauss had not published his finding because of his preference for fully developing his ideas before making them public" (Kopf).The success of his orbit calculations encouraged Gauss to fully commit to astronomical research. In 1807, he was appointed director of the Gottingen Observatory, "launching one of the most fruitful careers in the history of science" (Lim).

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