William herschel family

He is best known for discovering Uranus in He also discovered infrared radiation , binary stars , and published important catalogues of stars and nebulae.

What is william herschel known for

Herschel built many telescopes , including the largest in the world at that time. Herschel was also a musician in his younger days. He played the cello , oboe , harpsichord and organ. He composed numerous musical works, including 24 symphonies and many concertos , as well as some church music. Herschel was born in the Electorate of Hanover , one of ten children.

His father was of Jewish descent, [ 1 ] and an oboist in the Hannover Military Band.

Where was william herschel born

In the Hannoverian Guards regiment, in whose band Wilhelm and his brother Jakob were engaged as oboists, was ordered to England. The next year the brothers resigned from the Guards band, and moved to London to avoid the Seven Years' War. Herschel's music led him to an interest in mathematics and lenses. His interest in astronomy grew stronger after and he made the acquaintance of the English Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne.

He started building his own reflecting telescopes and would spend up to 16 hours a day grinding and polishing the metal primary mirrors. When he discovered Uranus, [ 4 ] Herschel was not looking for a planet but doing a survey of stars; it was an accidental discovery. It was the first discovery of a new planet since ancient times.

The first five, Mercury , Venus , Mars , Jupiter and Saturn , are visible with the naked eye, and have been known since early history.