William Herschel, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetWilliam Herschel
German-born British astronomer, technical expert, and composer
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany
About William Herschel
- Frederick William Herschel, (; German: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer, composer and brother of fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel, with whom he worked.
- 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 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 as a Fellow of the Royal Society and grants were provided for the construction of new telescopes. Herschel pioneered the use of astronomical spectrophotometry, using prisms and temperature measuring equipment to measure the wavelength distribution of stellar spectra.
- In addition, Herschel discovered infrared radiation. Other work included an improved determination of the rotation period of Mars, the discovery that the Martian polar caps vary seasonally, the discovery of Titania and Oberon (moons of Uranus) and Enceladus and Mimas (moons of Saturn).
- Herschel was made a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order in 1816.
- He was the first President of the Royal Astronomical Society when it was founded in 1820.
- He died in August 1822, and his work was continued by his only son, John Herschel.
Read more at Wikipedia
See Also
- Famous People's Birthdays on 15 November, Germany
- Famous People's Birthdays in November, Germany
- Famous astronomer's Birthdays on 15 November, Germany
- Famous astronomer's Birthdays in November, Germany
- Famous composer's Birthdays on 15 November, Germany
- Famous composer's Birthdays in November, Germany
- Famous musician's Birthdays on 15 November, Germany
- Famous musician's Birthdays in November, Germany
- Famous oboist's Birthdays on 15 November, Germany
- Famous oboist's Birthdays in November, Germany
Image Author, Source and License
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Lemuel Francis Abbott
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| Description | British portrait painter | ||
| Date of birth/death | 1760 | 15 December 1802 | |
| Location of birth/death | Leicestershire | London | |
| Work location | London | ||
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Source:
National Portrait Gallery: NPG 98
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