Born and bred in a house surrounded by music, it’s no surprise that instruments attracted William Herschel from a young age. From mastering the oboe and harpsichord to composing 24 symphonies, what’s more remarkable about Mr Herschel, other than his stellar excellent musical abilities, were his profound contributions to the field of astronomy.
From reading about philosophy to advanced trigonometric elements, Herschel gravitated to astronomy because of his naturally inquisitive nature- a trait which would be essential in determining his future success in the field of science. His meticulous effort paid off, as it was through his telescopes that Herschel, on one spring’s night in March 1781, discovered the 7th planet in our solar system- Uranus, all while in search of double stars.
Besides the discovery of Uranus- and two of its moons- Herschel is infamous for his deep sky surveys, hunting for spectacular clouds of gases, which are called nebulas, the remnants of dead stars, and the bodies that hold the potential to birth many others. William Herschel is also renowned for his discovery of infrared radiation, which he discovered after noticing that the different coloured filters all generated varying amounts of heat. His extended experimentation and discovery was a crucial advancement in the field of physics, as the possibility of there being an ‘invisible’ form of light beyond the visible spectrum propagated amongst the scientist community, and was thus developed and investigated.
After living a long, fruitful, and accomplished life, Herschel passed away at the age of eighty-three. As a scientist, Herschel, unlike many of his other colleagues, was well recognized and compensated for his extraordinary contributions. He became the first President of the Royal Astronomical Society in Britain. A curious and inquisitive mind, Herschel was, and is, an inspiration to millions of children, to explore the depths of the unknown.
