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How Did William Herschel Study Astronomy

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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. …show more content…

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

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