Herschel, << HUR shuhl, >> Sir John Frederick William (1792-1871), was a noted British astronomer. He won prominence for his varied contributions to science.
Herschel was born on March 7, 1792, near London in Slough, England. His father, Sir William Herschel, was a famous astronomer. The younger Herschel graduated from Cambridge University in 1813. He carried on his research after graduation, publishing works on mathematics and optics. His discovery that sodium thiosulfate (hypo) dissolves silver salts contributed to the development of photography.
From 1834 to 1838, Herschel surveyed the southern skies as thoroughly as his father had studied the northern heavens. He discovered over 1,200 double stars and an even larger number of star clusters and hazy objects called nebulae. He also charted the Magellanic Clouds, two galaxies visible in the Southern Hemisphere. He was a founder of England’s Royal Astronomical Society. Herschel published the results of his observations at the Cape of Good Hope in 1847. His other publications include Outlines of Astronomy (1849) and General Catalogue of Nebulae (1864). He died on May 11, 1871.
