| William Herschel | |
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| Born | 15 November 1738,Hanover,Germany |
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| Died | 25 August 1822 |
Sir Frederick William Herschel, FRS KH (15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer who became famous for discovering Uranus. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Year 1738 ( MDCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 1822 (MDCCCXXII was a Common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Sunday of the The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, was a British or rather Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Year 1738 ( MDCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 1822 (MDCCCXXII was a Common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Sunday of the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Historically Astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky while Astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance He also discovered infrared radiation and made many other discoveries in astronomy. Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of
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Early life and musical activities
He was born Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in Hanover, Germany, as one of ten children (of whom four died very young), of Isaac Herschel (1707-1768) an oboist of the Hanover Military Band. Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. An oboist is a Musician who plays the Oboe or any oboe family instrument including Cor anglais, Oboe d'amore, Shawm, and oboe Although Isaac was of Jewish birth [1], his wife was a Christian and the children were raised as Christians. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ His wife especially was instrumental in his own conversion to Christianity. Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religious identity or a change from one religious identity to another In 1755 the Hanoverian Guards regiment, in whose band William and his brother Jacob were engaged as oboists, was ordered to England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland At the time, the crowns of England and Hannover were united under George II. The House of Hanover (the Hanoverians) is a Germanic royal Dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg George II (George Augustus 10 November 1683 &ndash 25 October 1760 was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ( This brief visit made an impression, and the next year the brothers resigned from the Guards band and moved to London. William learned English quickly and, at age nineteen, he changed his name to Frederick William Herschel.
He became a successful music teacher and bandleader, played the violin besides the oboe and, later, the organ. The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member "Hautbois" redirects here for the strawberry variety see Hautbois strawberry. The organ (from Greek όργανον – organon "organ instrument tool" is a Keyboard instrument of one or more divisions each During a concert in 1767, Herschel showed off his versatility by performing an oboe concerto, violin concerto and harpsichord sonata. He composed numerous musical works, including 24 symphonies and many concertos, as well as some church music. A symphony is a Musical composition, often extended and usually for Orchestra. The term Concerto (plural concertos or concerti) usually refers to a three part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an Orchestra Besides a few oboe concertos, his music is largely forgotten today. After a career leading orchestras in Newcastle, Leeds and Halifax (he was organist at the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Halifax, West Yorkshire), he became organist of the Octagon Chapel, Bath, in which town he was also Director of Public Concerts. Halifax is a large Market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England, with a population of 82056 in the Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. His sister Caroline came to England in 1772 and lived with him there in New King Street. Caroline Lucretia Herschel ( 1750-03-16, Hanover &ndash 1848-01-09) was a German -born English Astronomer, the sister His brothers Dietrich, Alexander and Jacob (1734-1792) also appeared as musicians of Bath. In 1780, Herschel was appointed director of the Bath orchestra, with his sister often appearing as soprano soloist.
Astronomy
| Uranus | 13 March 1781 |
| Oberon | 11 January 1787 |
| Titania | 11 January 1787 |
| Enceladus | 28 August 1789 |
| Mimas | 17 September 1789 |
Discoverer of Uranus
Herschel's music led him to an interest in mathematics, and thence to astronomy. A planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU is a celestial body Orbiting a Star or stellar remnant that is Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 1781 ( MDCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common TemplateInfobox Planet.--> Oberon (ˈoʊbərɒn) is the outermost Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Titania (, also) is the largest moon of Uranus and the eighth largest moon in the Solar System. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common TemplateInfobox Planet.--> This article is about the moon of Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common TemplateInfobox Planet. --> Mimas (ˈmaɪməs, or as Greek Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study This interest grew stronger after 1773, and he built some telescopes and made the acquaintance of Nevil Maskelyne. The Reverend Dr Nevil Maskelyne ( 6 October[[ 732]] &ndash 9 February[[ 811]] was the fifth English Astronomer Royal. He observed the Moon, measuring the heights of lunar mountains, and also worked on a catalog of double stars. Double Star is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first serialized in Astounding Science Fiction
The turning point in Herschel's life was 13 March 1781, while he was living at 19 New King Street, Bath, (now the Herschel Museum of Astronomy) when he made the first sighting of the planet Uranus. Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 1781 ( MDCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Herschel Museum of Astronomy (also known as the William Herschel Museum) is a small independent Museum dedicated to the life and works of the famous Astronomer This made him famous and enabled him to turn to astronomy full-time. Naming the new planet Georgium Sidus, Latin for "George's Star", in honour of King George III also brought him favour (the name didn't stick - in France, where reference to the British king was to be avoided if possible, the planet was known as 'Herschel' until the name 'Uranus' was universally adopted). Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places That same year, Herschel was awarded the Copley Medal and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. The Copley Medal is a scientific award for distinguished achievement in any field of Science established by the Royal Society of London in 1731 The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 In 1782, he was appointed "The King’s Astronomer" and he and his sister subsequently moved to Datchet (then in Buckinghamshire but now in Berkshire) on 1 August 1782. Datchet is an English Thameside village situated in the Unitary authority of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1782 ( MDCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common He continued his work as a telescope maker, selling a number of them to other astronomers.
Work with his sister Caroline
In 1783 he gave Caroline a telescope and she began to make astronomical discoveries in her own right, particularly comets. Caroline Lucretia Herschel ( 1750-03-16, Hanover &ndash 1848-01-09) was a German -born English Astronomer, the sister A comet is a small Solar System body that orbits the Sun and when close enough to the Sun exhibits a visible coma (atmosphere or a tail — Caroline also served as his full-time assistant, taking notes while he observed at the telescope.
In June 1785, owing to damp conditions, he and Caroline moved to Clay Hall in Old Windsor. Windsor (ˈwɪnzə/ /ˈwɪndzə is a suburban town and tourist destination in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. Clay Hall (or Clayhall Farm) had been owned by Samuel Foote, father of Topham Foote whose bust by Peter Scheemakers is in Windsor Parish Church. Topham's mother sold the farm to her brother Richard Topham who willed it to Sidney Bleuclerk. On 3 April 1786, William Herschel moved his family to a new residence on Windsor Road in Slough. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 1786 ( MDCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Slough ( ˈslaʊ is a Borough and Unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. He lived the rest of his life in this residence, which came to be known as Observatory House. It is no longer standing, having been demolished in 1963 to make way for a high-rise office building.
On 7 May 1788, he married the widow Mary Pitt (née Baldwin) at St Laurence's Church, Upton in Slough. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1788 ( MDCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap Saint Laurence's Church is one of three churches in the modern Parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey, and is the oldest building in the borough of Slough His sister Caroline then moved to separate lodgings, but continued to work as his assistant.
Herschel's telescopes
During the course of his career, he constructed more than four hundred telescopes. The largest and most famous of these was a reflecting telescope with a 40 ft (12 m) focal length and an aperture 49½ inches (126 cm) in diameter. A reflecting telescope (also called a reflector) is an Optical telescope which uses a single or combination of Curved mirrors that reflect Light The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly it converges (focuses or diverges (diffuses Light. On 28 August 1789, his first night of observation using this instrument, he discovered a new moon of Saturn. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Saturn has 60 confirmed moons. These include 22 regular satellites, which all have Prograde orbits that are not greatly inclined with respect A second moon followed within the first month of observation. The 40 ft (12 m) telescope proved very cumbersome, however, and most of his observations were done with a smaller telescope of 20 ft (6. 1 m) focal length. Herschel discovered that unfilled telescope apertures can be used to obtain high angular resolution, something which became the essential basis for interferometric imaging in astronomy (in particular Aperture Masking Interferometry and hypertelescopes). An astronomical interferometer is an array of telescopes or mirror segments acting together to probe structures with higher resolution
Further discoveries
In his later career, Herschel discovered two moons of Saturn, Mimas and Enceladus; as well as two moons of Uranus, Titania and Oberon. TemplateInfobox Planet. --> Mimas (ˈmaɪməs, or as Greek TemplateInfobox Planet.--> This article is about the moon of Titania (, also) is the largest moon of Uranus and the eighth largest moon in the Solar System. TemplateInfobox Planet.--> Oberon (ˈoʊbərɒn) is the outermost He did not give these moons their names; rather, they were named by his son John in 1847 and 1852, respectively, well after his death. Sir John Frederick William Herschel 1st Baronet KH, FRS ( March 7, 1792 &ndash May 11, 1871)was an
He worked on creating an extensive catalog of nebulae. A nebula (from Latin: "mist" pl nebulae or nebulæ, with ligature or nebulas) is an Interstellar cloud of He continued to work on double stars, and was the first to discover that most double stars are not mere optical doubles as had been supposed previously, but are true binary stars, thus providing the first proof that Newton's laws of gravitation apply outside the solar system. Double Star is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first serialized in Astounding Science Fiction Double Star is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first serialized in Astounding Science Fiction A binary star is a Star system consisting of two Stars orbiting around their Center of mass.
From studying the proper motion of stars, he was the first to realize that the solar system is moving through space, and he determined the approximate direction of that movement. The proper motion of a Star is the measurement of its change in position in the sky over time after Improper motions are accounted for The Solar System consists of the Sun and those celestial objects bound to it by Gravity. He also studied the structure of the Milky Way and concluded that it was in the shape of a disk. The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea, in turn derived from the Greek Γαλαξίας (Galaxias sometimes referred to simply
He also coined the word "asteroid", meaning star-like (from the Greek asteroeides, aster "star" + -eidos "form, shape"), in 1802 (shortly after Olbers discovered the second minor planet, 2 Pallas, in late March of the same year), to describe the star-like appearance of the small moons of the giant planets and of the minor planets; the planets all show discs, by comparison. Asteroids, sometimes called Minor planets or planetoids', are bodies—primarily of the inner Solar System —that are smaller than planets but Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly TemplateInfobox Planet. --> 2 Pallas (ˈpæləs, or as Παλλάς) is one of the largest Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. A gas giant (sometimes also known as a Jovian planet after the planet Jupiter, or giant planet) is a large Planet that is not primarily
Despite his numerous important scientific discoveries, Herschel was not averse to wild speculation. In particular, he believed every planet was inhabited[2], even the Sun: he believed that the Sun had a cool, solid surface protected from its hot atmosphere by an opaque layer of cloud, and that a race of beings adapted to their strange environment lived there and had enormous heads. The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System.
Discovery of infrared radiation
Herschel discovered infrared radiation by passing sunlight through a prism and holding a thermometer just beyond the red end of the visible spectrum. Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of Sunlight, in the broad sense is the total spectrum of the Electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. In Optics, a dispersive prism is a type of optical prism, normally having the shape of a geometrical triangular prism. The thermometer is a device that measures Temperature or Temperature gradient using a variety of different principles it comes from the Greek roots Red is any of a number of similar Colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of Light discernible by the human eye in the wavelength This thermometer was meant to be a control to measure the ambient air temperature in the room. He was shocked when it showed a higher temperature than the visible spectrum. Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate especially while looking for something else entirely Further experimentation led to Herschel's conclusion that there must be an invisible form of light beyond the visible spectrum. In Psychology, visual perception is the ability to interpret information from Visible light reaching the Eyes The resulting Perception is also Light, or visible light, is Electromagnetic radiation of a Wavelength that is visible to the Human eye (about 400–700
Family and death
William and Mary had one child, John, born at Observatory House on 7 March 1792. Sir John Frederick William Herschel 1st Baronet KH, FRS ( March 7, 1792 &ndash May 11, 1871)was an Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1792 ( MDCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year In 1816, William was made a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order by the Prince Regent entitling him to the prefix 'Sir'. The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, was a British or rather Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April He helped to found the Astronomical Society of London in 1820, which in 1831 received a royal charter and became the Royal Astronomical Society. The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS is a Learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research
On 25 August 1822, Herschel died at Observatory House, Slough, and is buried at nearby St Laurence's Church, Upton. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 1822 (MDCCCXXII was a Common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Sunday of the
His son John Herschel also became a famous astronomer. Sir John Frederick William Herschel 1st Baronet KH, FRS ( March 7, 1792 &ndash May 11, 1871)was an One of William's brothers, Alexander Herschel, moved permanently to England, near Caroline and John. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland
His house at 19 New King Street in Bath, Somerset where he made many telescopes and first observed Uranus, is now home to the Herschel Museum of Astronomy. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects and the collection of Electromagnetic radiation. The Herschel Museum of Astronomy (also known as the William Herschel Museum) is a small independent Museum dedicated to the life and works of the famous Astronomer
Named after Herschel
- Mu Cephei, Two of the largest known stars in the universe, is also known as Herschel's Garnet Star
- Herschel, a small crater on the Moon
- Herschel, a large impact basin on Mars
- The enormous Herschel crater on Saturn's moon Mimas
- 2000 Herschel, an asteroid
- The William Herschel Telescope on La Palma
- The Herschel Space Observatory, currently under development by the European Space Agency. Mu Cephei (μ Cep / μ Cephei also known as Garnet Sidus, is a Red supergiant Star in the Constellation Cepheus Herschel is a lunar Impact crater located just to the north of Ptolemaeus crater. Herschel is a large crater on Mars. It is named after the Eighteenth century Astronomer William Herschel. In the broadest sense the term impact crater can be applied to any depression natural or manmade resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with larger body Herschel (ˈhɝːʃəl is a huge crater on the Saturnian moon Mimas. TemplateInfobox Planet. --> Mimas (ˈmaɪməs, or as Greek 2000 Herschel is an Asteroid discovered on July 29, 1960 by Joachim Schubart. The William Herschel Telescope or WHT was first conceived in the late 1960s when the Anglo-Australian Observatory was being designed Isla de La Palma (known in English as "La Palma" not to be confused with "Palma" in the Balearic Islands is a Spanish volcanic ocean island The Herschel Space Observatory ("Herschel" is a European Space Agency (ESA mission originally proposed in 1982 by a consortium of European scientists that included It will be the largest space telescope of its kind
- Herschel Grammar School, Slough
- Rue Herschel, a street in Paris, France bears his name. A space observatory is any instrument in Outer space which is used for observation of distant planets galaxies and other outer space objects Herschel Grammar School is a selective Co-educational grammar Foundation school and Technology College in Slough, Berkshire Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.
- The Herschel Building at Newcastle University, Newcastle, United Kingdom
- Herschel Museum of Astronomy
- Herschel School, Cape Town, a private girl's school
- Herschelschule, Hanover, Germany, a grammar school
- Herschel, Saskatchewan, Canada is a small, rural village that is home to the Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre
- The Herschel Observatory, from the school Universitas in Santos, Brazil. Newcastle University is a leading research intensive University located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. The Herschel Museum of Astronomy (also known as the William Herschel Museum) is a small independent Museum dedicated to the life and works of the famous Astronomer Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page
- The lunar crater C. Herschel, the asteroid 281 Lucretia, and the comet 35P/Herschel-Rigollet are named after his sister Caroline Herschel. C Herschel is a small lunar crater that lies on the western part of Mare Imbrium. 281 Lucretia is an Asteroid belonging to the Flora family in the Main Belt. 35P/Herschel-Rigollet is a Periodic comet discovered by Caroline Herschel ( Slough, United Kingdom) on 1788-12-21. Caroline Lucretia Herschel ( 1750-03-16, Hanover &ndash 1848-01-09) was a German -born English Astronomer, the sister
- A public house in Slough is named after him and is quite close to the site of Obervatory House. Herschel Arms, 22, Park St, Slough, Berkshire SL1 1PS
See also
Notes
- ^ His father, Abraham, was a member of the Hanover Jewish community. The following is a list of astronomical instrument makers, along with lifespan and country of work if available See H. Geduld, Jewish World Review, April 24, 1998. - also here. In addition see article in Jewish Encyclopaedia
- ^ [The idea of life on our neighbour planet [Mars] has inspired humans for a long time. The British royal astronom Astronom Sir William Herschel (1738-1822) assumed that there are intelligent beings not only on Mars, but on all planets in our solar system (see http://science.orf.at/science/news/86466)
References
- Biography: JRASC 74 (1980) 134
- "William Herschel"by Michael Hoskin. New dictionary of Scientific Biography Scribners, 2008. v. 3, pp. 289-291.
External links
- William Herschel's Deep Sky Catalog
- Full text of The Story of the Herschels (1886) from Project Gutenberg
- Portraits of William Herschel at the National Portrait Gallery (United Kingdom)
- Herschel Museum of Astronomy located in his Bath home
- William Herschel Society
- The Oboe Concertos of Sir William Herschel, Wilbert Davis Jerome ed. ISBN 0871692252
- Works by or about William Herschel in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by Samuel Vince |
Copley Medal 1781 |
Succeeded by Richard Kirwan |
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