William Herschel
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William Herschel was a German-born British astronomer and composer who lived from 1738 to 1822, making important discoveries about the night sky during a period of rapid advancement in telescope technology. His work expanded humanity's understanding of the universe and remains influential in the field of astronomy.
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Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1738
- Died
- 1822
- Works
- 25
Top works
- Observations and remarks on the figure, the climate, and the atmosphere of Saturn, and its ring
- Observations of the changeable brightness of the satellites of Jupiter, and of the variation in their apparent magnitudes
- Observations of the transit of Mercury over the disk of the sun
- Miscellaneous papers
- A fourth catalogue of the comparative brightness of the stars
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Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 2,767
Works in European collections
3 objects attributed to William Herschel, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana
Article
Frederick William Herschel (/ˈhɜːrʃəl/ HUR-shəl; German: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈhɛʁʃl̩]; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German–British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel. Born in the Electorate of Hanover, he followed his father into the military band of Hanover, before emigrating to Britain in 1757 at the age of 19.
Taking an interest in astronomy in 1766, Herschel constructed his first large telescope in 1774, after which he spent nine years carrying out sky surveys to investigate double stars. Herschel published catalogues of nebulae in 1802 (2,500 objects) and in 1820 (5,000 objects). The resolving power of the Herschel telescopes revealed that many objects called nebulae in the Messier catalogue were actually clusters of stars. On 13 March 1781 while making observations he made note of a new object in the constellation of Gemini. This would, after several weeks of verification and consultation with other astronomers, be confirmed to be a new planet, eventually given the name of Uranus. This was the first planet to be discovered since antiquity, and Herschel became famous overnight. As a result of this discovery, George III appointed him Court Astronomer. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and grants were provided for the construction of new telescopes.
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1738 births1822 deaths18th-century British astronomers18th-century British classical composers18th-century British male musicians18th-century German astronomers18th-century German classical composers18th-century German keyboardists19th-century British astronomers19th-century German male musiciansBritish classical organistsBritish Lutherans