William Herschel
German-British astronomer and composer (1738–1822)
Why this is trending
Interest in “William Herschel” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-25.
Categorised under Science & Nature, this article fits a familiar pattern. Interest in science articles on Wikipedia often follows major discoveries, published studies, or tech industry news.
GlyphSignal tracks these patterns daily, turning raw Wikipedia traffic data into a curated feed of what the world is curious about. Every spike tells a story.
Key Takeaways
- Frederick William Herschel ( HUR -shəl ; German: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈhɛʁʃl̩] ; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-British astronomer and composer.
- Born in the Electorate of Hanover, he followed his father into the military band of Hanover, before immigrating to Britain in 1757 at the age of 19.
- Herschel published catalogues of nebulae in 1802 (2,500 objects) and in 1820 (5,000 objects).
- On 13 March 1781 while making observations he made note of a new object in the constellation of Gemini.
- This was the first planet to be discovered since antiquity, and Herschel became famous overnight.
Frederick William Herschel ( HUR-shəl; German: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈhɛʁʃl̩]; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel. Born in the Electorate of Hanover, he followed his father into the military band of Hanover, before immigrating to Britain in 1757 at the age of 19.
Taking an interest in astronomy in 1766, Herschel constructed his first large telescope in 1774, after which he spent nine years carrying out sky surveys to investigate double stars. Herschel published catalogues of nebulae in 1802 (2,500 objects) and in 1820 (5,000 objects). The resolving power of the Herschel telescopes revealed that many objects called nebulae in the Messier catalogue were actually clusters of stars. On 13 March 1781 while making observations he made note of a new object in the constellation of Gemini. This would, after several weeks of verification and consultation with other astronomers, be confirmed to be a new planet, eventually given the name of Uranus. This was the first planet to be discovered since antiquity, and Herschel became famous overnight. As a result of this discovery, George III appointed him Court Astronomer. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and grants were provided for the construction of new telescopes.
Content sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0
