Astronomer's Biography

Sir John William Frederick Herschel was born an only child into a family of astronomers on March 7, 1792 in Buckinghamshire, England.  His father, Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel discovered Uranus before John William Frederick Herschel’s birth. He was first educated at public schools and then received tutoring from a Scottish mathematician. Herschel went on to attend Cambridge University at St. John’s College. While there he worked with Charles Babbage, a mathematician and inventor of the early computer, and George Peacock, another mathematician and theologian. Together they founded the Analytical Society of Cambridge which aimed to bring the more sophisticated methods of German calculus into England.

While working to become a lawyer, Herschel decided he was dissatisfied with his field of choice instead taught mathematics at Cambridge for one year and then left to assist his father with astronomical research. He worked with his father to construct telescopes and was inducted into the Royal Astronomical Society in 1820. Herschel also continued to work in mathematics and was awarded the Copley Medal from the Royal society in 1821 for his achievements in mathematics and the physics of light.

In order to further understand the gravitational force observed in the universe, Herschel set out to observe double stars and their movements. His accomplished father had a wealth of research and observations on various double stars that greatly aided Herschel’s endeavors. Herschel worked with James South to compile a catalog of research that earned them the Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society in 1824 and the Lalande Prize from the Paris Academy of Sciences in 1825.These accomplishments later merited his knighting in 1831.

Herschel was determined to complete his father's work, so he began planning a trip to the Southern Hemisphere in the 1830s. He set sail with his family to the Cape of Good Hope in November of 1833. The family settled on a Dutch farm slightly outside of Cape Town where the skies were extremely clear. These skies allowed for much more concise observation than that in England. Over the course of five years Herschel recorded the locations of 68,948 stars and catalogs of double stars and nebulae. He was able to make detailed observations of the Great Nebula within Orion, Magelannic Clouds, Halley's Comet, and Saturn's satellites. Herschel invented a device that measured solar radiation and was able to accurately record patterns of sun spots. Herschel returned to England in 1838 and was made a baronet.

Beginning in the 1840s, Herschel began working on his book Outlines of Astronomy, published in 1849. The text was intended for educated laymen and was very successful; it was translated into both Chinese and Arabic. During this time Herschel also wrote Results of Astronomical Observations, Made During the Years 1834–38 at the Cape of Good Hope which contained the catalogs and observations he made while in the south of the Africa. 

After publication, Herschel sought out public office and was made Master of the Mint in 1850. Eventually he became too stressed by his position of power and resigned in 1856. He continued working on obersavtions of nebulae and double stars until his death on May 11, 1871. 

Works Cited

"Herschel | Sir | John Frederick William | 1792-1871 | Astronomer." Herschel | Sir | John Frederick William | 1792-1871 | Astronomer. Navigational Aids for the History of Science, Technology, and Environment, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.

"John Herschel." John Herschel. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.

"Sir John Herschel, 1st Baronet (English Astronomer)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.