Bode's law

Bode's law, or Titius-Bode law, a statement of the relative mean distances of the planets from the sun. The formula begins with the numbers of the series, 0, 3, 6, 12, 24 (each new number being twice the previous one). If each number is increased by 4 and divided by 10, the series becomes 0.4, 0.7, 1.0, 1.6, 2.8, 5.2, 10.0, 19.6, 38.8. The law holds that these numbers express the relative mean distances of the planets from the sun, the earth's distance being the standard: 1.0. The German mathematician Johann Titius discovered this relationship in 1766; the German astronomer Johann Bode published it in 1772. It holds fairly well for the planets known at the time and for Uranus and the asteroid belt (both discovered later), but not for Neptune and Pluto.

See also: Astronomy.