Bodes Law

Bode's Law, named after the astronomer, is a connection between the distances of the planets from the sun. It was first observed by Kepler, and was employed by Bode to predict the existence of a planet between Mars and Jupiter. The discovery of the asteroids was practically the fulfilment of his prediction. No physical explanation has yet been afforded of the rule, which is therefore purely empirical. It may be stated thus: - Add 4 to each of the numbers 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and so on in geometrical progression, and we obtain the relative distances of the planets from the sun. Thus -

Mercury 4 (3.9). Venus 7 (7.2). Earth 10. Mars 16 (15.2). Asteroids 28 (27.4). Jupiter 52 (52.9). Saturn 100 (95.4). Uranus 196 (192). Neptune 388 (300).

The numbers in brackets represent the relative distances as obtained by actual measurement, that of the earth being taken as 10.