How Did William Herschel Study Astronomy

Musician and astronomer, William Herschel, changed the way we look at the sky in the 1780’s. In 1781, Herschel went on an adventure to construct a telescope with bigger reflecting mirrors than had ever been used before (Hoskin). He made a telescope that was top of the line for that time. He discovered Uranus, which was the first planet to be discovered in a very long time (Upgren). Many people inspired and aided Herschel’s desire to study astronomy. A professor at Cambridge, John Micheli, helped lead William’s quest as he sought to create a more advanced telescope (Hoskin). I feel like one of Herschel’s biggest helps would have to have been his sister and fellow astronomer, Caroline Herschel (Upgren). She would have been a great support to him as he sought to discover more about the world above us. It was hard for people to believe that he had discovered a new planet. In fact, the public was more willing to recognize Herschel’s discovery of double stars at first (Hoskin). I feel William Herschel helped motivate the astronomy world to continue to discover about the stars and the secrets of space.

(2011). WILLIAM HERSCHEL AND THE NEBULAE, PART 1: 1774-1784. Journal for the History of Astronomy, 42(2), 177-192,281. Retrieved from