Allen1
Paisley Allen
Mrs. Crank
ELA
10 February 2016
William Herschel
Can you imagine a musician discovering the planet Uranus? Well, it happened! An
ordinary man, Frederick William Herschel, discovered a very important planet in our solar
system, and his research and other discoveries are still relevant in astronomy today.
Before William Herschel became a famous astronomer, he was a talented musician. He
joined the local regimental band at age fourteen as an oboist. The experiences he had in the
band, led him to migrate to England in 1757. At the Octagon Chapel in Bath, he worked as an
oboist for sixteen years. During that time, his sister, Caroline, joined him in 1772. It was while he
was a musician that he started becoming interested in astronomy.
While being an astronomer, Herschel had many discoveries. He carried out many sky
surveys for about nine years, searching for double stars. He was appointed ‘Court Astronomer’
on March 13, 1781, for discovering a disk and naming it ‘George Sidium’ in the king’s honor, but
he later changed it to Uranus. In 1787, he discovered the moons, Titania and Oberon. In 1789,
he discovered the moons, Encelodus and Mimas.
William Herschel was a very important and honored astronomer. He has been
remembered for his discovered and research. But he is honored in other ways as well, such as
the many important space objects that are named after him, like Herschel, a huge crater on the
moon, and Herschel, a crater on Mars. Along with those, the asteroid, 2000 Herschel, is also
named after the astronomer.
Herschel is remembered and admired by many today, and has inspired people
everywhere. His findings have opened doors to astronomers and might even inspire new
discoveries. His legacy will live on and continue to encourage people to reach for the stars!
Allen2
Works Cited
Crowe, Michael J. World Book. Chicago: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. 2008.
Redd, Nola Taylor. “William Herschel Biography.” http:/www.space.com/17432-williamherschel.html
“William Herschel.” http:/www.nndb.com/people/661/000096373/