Portrait of Herschel

Unknown artist

Sir William Herschel was probably the most famous astronomer of the 18th century. Among many of his important findings, he discovered the planet Uranus in 1781. At his family home, Observatory House, Slough, Herschel had the largest reflecting telescope in the world. It was 40 feet long with a 48-inch mirror. He and his sister Caroline (1750-1848) were devoted to cataloguing their discoveries and were also both dedicated musicians. Herschel's son, John (1792-1871), followed in his father's footsteps and combined astronomy with early experimental photography.