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William Herschel

Frederick William Herschel, KH, FRS (1738-1822) was a German-born British astronomer, composer, and brother of Caroline Herschel. Born in the Electorate of Hanover, Herschel followed his father into the Military Band of Hanover, before migrating to Great Britain in 1757 at the age of nineteen.

Herschel constructed his first large telescope in 1774, after which he spent nine years carrying out sky surveys to investigation of double stars. The resolving power of the Herschel telescopes revealed that the nebulae in the Messier catalogue were clusters of stars; Herschel published catalogues of nebulae in 1802 (2,500 objects) and in 1820 (5,000 objects). In the course of an observation on 13 March 1781 he realized that one celestial body he had observed was not a star, but a planet, 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 as a Fellow of the Royal Society and grants were provided for the construction of new telescopes. (from wikipedia.org)

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Related Links
William Herschel - wikipedia
Frederick William Herschel, KH, FRS (1738-1822) was a German-born British astronomer, composer, and brother of Caroline Herschel.
A Sky Full of Ghosts
Featuring astronomer William Herschel's observations on the effects of light on time and gravity, this episode explores the nature of the speed of light, electromagnetic waves, gravitational force, and block holes.
400 Years of Telescope
The lecture charts the development of optical telescopes since then, the subtle ideas that are greatly improving their performance and how they are bringing ever-further parts of the universe within our reach.

e-Books
Sir William Herschel: His Life and Works
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sir William Herschel: His Life and Works, by Edward Singleton Holden. Read this book online: HTML. Download This eBook. EPUB. Kindle. Plain Text.
William Herschel and His Work
By James Sime, 1843-1895. Topics: William Herschel, 1738-1822. Publisher: New York, C. Scribner's Sons. Digitizing Sponsor: MSN. Book Contributor: Cornell University Library.
The Story of the Herschels
The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Story of the Herschels, by Anonymous. Read this book online: HTML. Download This eBook. EPUB. Kindle. Plain Text.
Herschel
By Hector Macpherson, 1988-1956. Topics: William Herschel, 1738-1822. Publisher: London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; New York, The Macmillan Company. Book Contributor: University of California Libraries.
Six Lectures on Light
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Six Lectures on Light, by John Tyndall. Lecture V. Sir William Herschel's Discovery of dark Solar Rays.
Description of a Forty-feet Reflecting Telescope
By William Herschel, 1738-1822. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (1776-1886). Publisher: Royal Society of London.
Catalogue of Double Stars
By William Herschel, 1738-1822. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (1776-1886). Publisher: Royal Society of London.
On the Georgian Planet and its Satellites
By William Herschel, 1738-1822. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (1776-1886). Publisher: Royal Society of London.
On the Construction of the Heavens
By William Herschel, 1738-1822. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (1776-1886). Publisher: Royal Society of London.
On Nebulous Stars, Properly So Called.
By William Herschel, 1738-1822. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (1776-1886). Publisher: Royal Society of London.
Observations on the Planet Venus
By William Herschel, 1738-1822. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (1776-1886). Publisher: Royal Society of London.