Astronomy: Discovery Of Uranus By William Hershcel In 1781

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Astronomy: Discovery of Uranus by William Hershcel in 1781

What was the motivation that led to the discovery?

British astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus accidentally on March 13, 1781, with his telescope while surveying all stars down to those about 10 times dimmer than can be seen by the naked eye. One "star" seemed different, and within a year Uranus was shown to follow a planetary orbit.

What questions were asked?

What is the inside of Uranus like?
Uranus is rather cool; unlike Jupiter and Saturn?
Is there a magnetic field?
What are the other objects found beyond Uranus like?

What was the significance of the discovery?

From the observations of the Voyager spacecraft we know that Uranus is similar to Jupiter and Saturn in