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{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2011}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox scientist
|name = William Herschel
|image = William Herschel01.jpg|100px
|image_size =
|caption =
|birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1738|11|15}}
|birth_place = [[Hanover]], [[Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Brunswick-Lüneburg]], [[Holy Roman Empire]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1822|08|25|1738|11|15}}
|death_place = [[Slough]], Berkshire, England
|residence =
|nationality = [[Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg|German]]; later British
|field = [[Astronomy]] and Music
|work_institutions =
|alma_mater =
|doctoral_advisor =
|doctoral_students =
|known_for = Discovery of [[Uranus]], discovery of [[infrared radiation]], deep sky surveys
|author_abbrev_bot =
|author_abbrev_zoo =
|influences =
|influenced =
|prizes = [[Copley Medal]]
|footnotes =
|signature = William Herschel Signature.svg}}
'''Sir Frederick William Herschel''',<ref>Caroline Herschel's autobiographies (M. Hoskin ed., 2003) page 13</ref> [[Royal Guelphic Order|KH]], [[Fellow of the Royal Society|FRS]], <small>German:</small> ''Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel'' (15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British [[astronomer]], technical expert, and composer. Born in [[Hanover, Germany]] Wilhelm first followed his father into the Military Band of Hanover, but emigrated to Britain at age 19. Herschel became most famous for the discovery of [[Uranus]] in addition to two of its major moons, [[Titania (moon)|Titania]] and [[Oberon (moon)|Oberon]]. He also discovered two moons of [[Saturn]] and [[Infrared|infrared radiation]]. Herschel is also known for the twenty-four symphonies that he composed.

==Memorial==
Sir William Herschel lived most of his life in [[Slough]], a town in Berkshire, England. He died in the town and was buried under the tower of St Laurence's Church, Upton, Slough.
Herschel is very much respected in the town as evidenced by a number of memorials to him and his discoveries.

In 2011 a new Bus Station, whose design was inspired by the infrared experiment of Sir William Herschel was built in the centre of Slough. The Shopping centre in the town, 'The Observatory', also comes in memory of him.

==Early life and musical activities==
Herschel was born in [[Hanover]], [[Electorate of Hanover]] one of ten children of Isaak and Anna Ilse, née Moritzen, Herschel. His father was of Jewish descent<ref>[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=H&artid=643 JewishEncyclopedia.com: "Herschel, Sir William"] by Joseph Jacobs</ref> and an [[oboist]] in the Hannover Military Band. In 1755 the Hannoverian Guards regiment, in whose band Wilhelm and his brother Jakob were engaged as oboists, was ordered to England. At the time the crowns of Great Britain and [[House of Hanover|Hannover]] were united under [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]. As the threat of war with France loomed, the Hannoverian Guard was recalled from England to defend Hannover. After the Hannoverian guard was defeated at the [[Battle of Hastenbeck]], Herschel's father Isaak sent his two sons to seek refuge in England in late 1757. Although his older brother Jakob had received his dismissal from the Hannoverian Guard, Wilhelm was accused of desertion,<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Journal for the History of Astronomy|title= Was William Herschel a deserter?|author=Hoskin, M.|bibcode=2004JHA....35..356H|volume=35, Part 3|issue=120|pages=356–358|year=2004}}</ref> (for which he was pardoned by [[George III]] in 1782).<ref>{{Citation| last = Clerke| first = Agnes M| title = A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century| place = London (republished eText)| publisher=Adam and Charles Black (republished Project Gutenberg)| year = 1908| edition = 4 (republished as eBook number 28247)| page = 18| url = http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?fk_files=1551958| archiveurl = http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?pageno=18&fk_files=1551958| archivedate = 4 March 2009}}</ref> Wilhelm, nineteen years old at this time, was a quick student of the English language. In England he went by the English rendition of his name, Frederick William Herschel.

He played the cello and [[harpsichord]] in addition to the [[oboe]] and later the [[organ (music)|organ]]. He composed numerous musical works, including 24 [[symphonies]] and many concertos, as well as some church music. Six of his symphonies are available in excellent recordings made in 2003 by the London Mozart Players, conducted by Matthias Bamert (Chandos 10048).

Herschel moved to [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]] in 1761 when [[Charles Avison]] immediately engaged him as first violin and soloist for his Newcastle orchestra, where he played for one season. In ‘Sunderland in the County of Durham 20 April 1761’ he wrote his symphony no. 8 in C minor. He was head of the Durham Militia band 1760–61 and visited the home of Sir [[Ralph Milbanke]] at Halnaby Hall in 1760, where he wrote two symphonies, as well as giving performances himself.

After Newcastle he moved to Leeds and [[Halifax, West Yorkshire|Halifax]] where he was the first organist at St John the Baptist church. He became organist of the [[Octagon Chapel, Bath]], a fashionable chapel in a well-known spa, in which town he was also Director of Public Concerts. He was appointed as the organist in 1766 and gave his introductory concert on 1 January 1767. As the organ was still incomplete he showed off his versatility by performing his own compositions including a [[violin concerto]], an [[oboe concerto]] and a [[harpsichord]] [[sonata]]. The organ was completed in October 1767.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dcs.warwick.ac.uk/bshm/zingaz/B.html#bath|title=Bath|publisher=The British Society for the History of Mathematics|accessdate=18 July 2009}}</ref> His sister [[Caroline Herschel|Caroline]] came to England in 1772 and lived with him there in New King Street. His brothers Dietrich, Alexander and Jakob (1734–1792) also appeared as musicians of Bath. In 1780, Herschel was appointed director of the Bath orchestra, with his sister often appearing as soprano soloist.

==Astronomy==
[[Image:HerschelTelescope.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Replica in the [[William Herschel Museum]], [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], of a telescope similar to that with which Herschel discovered [[Uranus]]]]
[[File:William Herschel's Mirror-polisher.jpg|thumb|right|Herschel's mirror polisher, on display in the [[Science Museum (London)|Science Museum]], London]]
Herschel's music led him to an interest in [[mathematics]] and [[Lens (optics)|lenses]]. His interest in [[astronomy]] grew stronger after he made the acquaintance of the English [[Astronomer Royal]] [[Nevil Maskelyne]]. He started building his own [[reflecting telescope]]s and would spend up to 16 hours a day grinding and polishing the [[speculum metal]] [[primary mirror]]s.<ref name = Ep2/> He "began to look at the planets and the stars" in May, 1773 and on 1 March 1774 began an astronomical journal by noting his observations of Saturn's rings and the [[Great Orion Nebula]] (M 42).

===Double Stars===
Herschel's early observational work soon focused on the search for visually very close pairs of stars. Astronomers of the era expected that changes over time in the apparent separation and relative location of these stars would provide evidence both for the proper motion of stars and, by means of [[parallax]] shifts in their separation, for the distance of stars from the Earth (a method first suggested by [[Galileo Galilei]]).<ref>[[Robert G. Aitken|Aitken, Robert]]. ''The Binary Stars''. McGraw-Hill, 1935. pp. 4–9</ref> From the back garden of his house in New King Street, Bath and using a {{convert|6.2|in|mm|adj=mid| aperture}}, {{convert|7|ft|m|adj=mid| focal length}} (f/13) [[Newtonian telescope]] "with a most capital speculum" of his own manufacture,<ref>Mullaney, p. 10</ref> Herschel began a systematic search for these stars among "every star in the Heavens" in October, 1779 and continued listing discoveries through 1792. He soon discovered many more binary and multiple stars than expected, and compiled them with careful measurements of their relative positions in two catalogues presented to the [[Royal Society]], London in 1782 (269 double or multiple systems) and 1784 (434 systems). A third catalogue of discoveries made after 1783 was published in 1821 (145 systems). In 1797 Herschel measured many of the systems again, and discovered changes in their relative positions that could not be attributed to the parallax caused by the Earth's orbit. He waited until 1802 (in ''Catalogue of 500 new Nebulae, nebulous Stars, planetary Nebulae, and Clusters of Stars; with Remarks on the Construction of the Heavens'') to announce the hypothesis that the two stars might be "binary sidereal systems" orbiting under mutual gravitational attraction, a hypothesis he confirmed in 1803 in his ''Account of the Changes that have happened, during the last Twenty-five Years, in the relative Situation of Double-stars; with an Investigation of the Cause to which they are owing''. In all, Herschel discovered over 800 confirmed<ref>[http://www.handprint.com/ASTRO/Herschel_All.html William Herschel's Double Star Catalog]. Handprint.com (2011-01-05). Retrieved on 5 June 2011.</ref> double or multiple star systems, almost all of them physical rather than virtual pairs. His theoretical and observational work provided the foundation for modern binary star astronomy; new catalogues adding to his work were not published until after 1820 by [[Friedrich Wilhelm Struve]], James South and [[John Herschel]].

===Uranus===
In March, 1781, during his search for double stars, Herschel noticed an object appearing as a nonstellar disk.<ref>[http://www.nasm.si.edu/etp/discovery/disc_planets.html National Air and Space Museum – Discovering New Planets]. Nasm.si.edu (1930-01-23). Retrieved on 5 June 2011.</ref> Herschel originally thought it was a comet or a star. He made many more observations of it, and afterwards Russian Academician [[Anders Johan Lexell|Anders Lexell]] computed the orbit and found it to be probably planetary.<ref>[[Thomas Kuhn|Kuhn, Thomas]]. ''The Structure of Scientific Revolutions''. The University of Chicago Press, 1970. p. 115</ref> Herschel determined in agreement that it must be a planet beyond the orbit of Saturn.<ref>[http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/herschel/fwhershs.html Astronomical League National – Herschel Club – Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel]. Astroleague.org. Retrieved on 5 June 2011.</ref> He called the new planet the 'Georgian star' (Georgium sidus) after [[King George III]], which also brought him favour; the name didn't stick. However, In France, where reference to the British king was to be avoided if possible, the planet was known as 'Herschel' until the name 'Uranus' was universally adopted. The same year, Herschel was awarded the [[Copley Medal]] and elected a Fellow of the [[Royal Society]]. In 1782, he was appointed "The King’s Astronomer" (not to be confused with the [[Astronomer Royal]]). He and his sister subsequently moved to [[Datchet]] (then in [[Buckinghamshire]] but now in [[Berkshire]]) on 1 August 1782. He continued his work as a telescope maker and achieved an international reputation for their manufacture, profitably selling over 60 completed reflectors to British and Continental astronomers.<ref>Mullaney, p. 14</ref>

===Deep Sky Surveys===
[[File:NGC 2683 HST.jpg|thumb|[[NGC 2683]] is an [[unbarred spiral galaxy]] discovered by William Herschel on February 5, 1788.]]
From 1782 to 1802, and most intensively from 1783 to 1790, Herschel conducted systematic surveys in search of "deep sky" or nonstellar objects with two {{convert|20|foot|cm|adj=mid| focal length}}, {{convert|12|inch|cm|adj=mid| aperture}} and {{convert|18.7|inch|cm|adj=mid| aperture}} telescopes (in combination with his favoured 6-inch aperture instrument). Excluding duplicated and "lost" entries, Herschel ultimately discovered over 2400 objects defined by him as [[nebula]]e. (At that time, nebula was the generic term for any visually extended or diffuse astronomical object, including galaxies beyond the Milky Way, until galaxies were confirmed as extragalactic systems by [[Edwin Hubble]] in 1924.) Herschel published his discoveries as three catalogues: ''Catalogue of One Thousand New Nebulae and Clusters of Stars'' (1786), ''Catalogue of a Second Thousand New Nebulae and Clusters of Stars'' (1789) and the previously cited ''Catalogue of 500 New Nebulae ...'' (1802). He arranged his discoveries under eight "classes": (I) bright nebulae, (II) faint nebulae, (III) very faint nebulae, (IV) planetary nebulae, (V) very large nebulae, (VI) very compressed and rich clusters of stars, (VII) compressed clusters of small and large [faint and bright] stars, and (VIII) coarsely scattered clusters of stars. Herschel's discoveries were supplemented by those of Caroline Herschel (11 objects) and his son John Herschel (1754 objects) and published by him as ''General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters'' in 1864. This catalogue was later edited by John Dreyer, supplemented with discoveries by many other 19th century astronomers, and published in 1888 as the ''New General Catalogue'' (abbreviated NGC) of over 6200 deep sky objects. The NGC numbering is still the most commonly used identifying label for these celestial landmarks.

===Work with his sister Caroline===
In 1783 he gave [[Caroline Herschel|Caroline]] a telescope, and she began to make astronomical discoveries in her own right, particularly [[comet]]s. She discovered eight comets, eleven nebulae and, at her brother's suggestion, updated and corrected Flamsteed's work detailing the position of stars. This was published as the [[British Catalogue of Stars]]. She was honoured by the [[Royal Astronomical Society]] for this work. Caroline also continued to serve as his assistant, often taking notes while he observed at the telescope.

In June 1785, owing to damp conditions, he and Caroline moved to Clay Hall in [[Windsor, Berkshire|Old Windsor]]. In 1786, the Herschels moved to a new residence on Windsor Road in [[Slough]]. He lived the rest of his life in this residence, which came to be known as [[Observatory House]]. It is no longer standing.

On 7 May 1788, he married the widow Mary Pitt (née Baldwin) at [[St Laurence's Church, Slough|St Laurence's Church]], [[Upton, Slough|Upton in Slough]]. His sister Caroline then moved to separate lodgings, but continued to work as his assistant.

===Herschel's telescopes===
[[Image:Herschel 40 foot.jpg|left|200px|thumb|The [[40-foot telescope|40-foot (12 m) telescope]]]]
{{see also|40-foot telescope}}
During the course of his career, he constructed more than four hundred telescopes. The largest and most famous of these was a [[reflecting telescope]] with a {{convert|49+1/2|in|m|adj=mid|-diameter}} [[primary mirror]] and a 40-foot (12&nbsp;m) [[focal length]]. Because of the poor reflectivity of the speculum mirrors of that day, Herschel eliminated the small diagonal mirror of a standard [[newtonian reflector]] from his design and tilted his primary mirror so he could view the formed image directly. This design has come to be called the [[Herschelian telescope]]. On 28 August 1789, his first night of observation using this instrument, he discovered a new [[Moons of Saturn#Table of known moons|moon]] of [[Saturn]]. A second moon followed within the first month of observation. The "40-foot telescope" proved very cumbersome, however, and most of his observations were done with a smaller {{convert|18.5|in|cm|adj=on}} {{convert|20|ft|m|adj=mid|-focal-length}} reflector. Herschel discovered that unfilled telescope apertures can be used to obtain high angular resolution, something which became the essential basis for interferometric imaging in astronomy (in particular [[Aperture Masking Interferometry]] and [[hypertelescope]]s).

===Further discoveries===
{| style="float:right; border:1px solid #ccc; margin-left:15px;" cellpadding="5"
|+ '''[[Planet]]s discovered: 1'''
| [[Uranus]] || 13 March 1781
|}
{| style="float:right; border:1px solid #ccc; margin-left:15px;" cellpadding="5"
|+ '''[[Moon]]s discovered: 4'''
| [[Oberon (moon)|Oberon]] || 11 January 1787
|-
| [[Titania (moon)|Titania]] || 11 January 1787
|-
| [[Enceladus (moon)|Enceladus]] || 28 August 1789
|-
| [[Mimas (moon)|Mimas]] || 17 September 1789
|}
In his later career, Herschel discovered two moons of Saturn, [[Mimas (moon)|Mimas]] and [[Enceladus (moon)|Enceladus]]; as well as two moons of Uranus, [[Titania (moon)|Titania]] and [[Oberon (moon)|Oberon]]. He did not give these moons their names; they were named by his son [[John Herschel|John]] in 1847 and 1852, respectively, well after his death.

Recently, some evidence has been cited by Dr. Stuart Eves that Herschel might have discovered rings around Uranus.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/6569849.stm |work=BBC News | first=Paul | last=Rincon | title=Uranus rings 'were seen in 1700s' | date=18 April 2007}}</ref>

Herschel measured the [[axial tilt]] of the planet [[Mars]] and discovered that the martian [[ice caps]], first observed by [[Giovanni Domenico Cassini]] (1666) and [[Christiaan Huygens]] (1672), changed size with the planet's seasons.

From studying the [[proper motion]] of stars, he was the first to realise that the [[solar system]] is [[stellar kinematics|moving]] through [[space]], and he determined the approximate direction of that movement. He also studied the structure of the [[Milky Way]] and concluded that it was in the shape of a [[spiral galaxy|disk]].

He also coined the word "[[asteroid]]", meaning ''star-like'' (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''asteroeides'', ''aster'' "star" + ''-eidos'' "form, shape"), in 1802 (shortly after [[Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers|Olbers]] discovered the second [[minor planet]], [[2 Pallas]], in [[March 28|late March]] of the same year), to describe the star-like appearance of the small moons of the [[gas giant|giant planets]] and of the minor planets; the planets all show discs, by comparison. However, it was not until the 1850s that 'asteroid' became a standard term for describing certain minor planets.

As part of his attempts to determine if there was a link between [[solar variation|solar activity]] and the terrestrial climate, Herschel also collected records of the price of wheat, as direct meteorological measurements were not available for a sufficient period. He theorised that the price of wheat would be [[causality|linked]] to the harvest and hence to the weather over the year. This attempt was unsuccessful due to the lack of previous solar observations against which to compare the wheat prices, but similar techniques were used later with success.<ref>{{Harvnb|Holden|1881|pp=201–2}}</ref>

Despite his numerous important scientific discoveries, Herschel was not averse to wild speculation. In particular, he believed every planet was inhabited,<ref>''The idea of life on our neighbour planet [Mars] has inspired humans for a long time. The British astronomer Sir William Herschel (1738–1822) assumed that there are intelligent beings not only on Mars, but on all planets in our solar system'' [http://science.orf.at/science/news/86466 Mars in Rekordnähe zur Erde]</ref> even the [[Sun]]: he believed that the Sun had a cool, solid surface protected from its hot [[atmosphere]] by an opaque layer of cloud, and that a race of beings adapted to their strange environment lived there and had enormous heads. He believed the creatures' heads must be exceptionally large because his calculations showed that under those conditions a normal sized head would effectively explode. The original belief of life-forms inhabiting the Sun came from the sight and movement of [[sunspots]] on the surface of the Sun.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}

== Discovery of infrared radiation in sunlight ==
On 11 February 1800, Herschel was testing filters for the sun so he could observe sun spots. When using a red filter he found there was a lot of heat produced. Herschel discovered [[infrared radiation]] in [[sunlight]] by passing it through a [[triangular prism (optics)|prism]] and holding a [[thermometer]] just beyond the red end of the [[visible spectrum]]. This thermometer was meant to be a control to measure the ambient air temperature in the room. He was shocked when it showed a higher temperature than the [[visible spectrum]]. Further experimentation led to Herschel's conclusion that there must be an [[visual perception|invisible]] form of light beyond the [[visible spectrum]].

==Biology==
Herschel used a [[microscope]] to establish that [[coral]] had the characteristic thin cell walls of an animal, instead of it being a plant, as many believed.<ref name = Ep2>''[[The Light of Reason]]'' 8 August 2006 02:00 BBC Four</ref>

==Family and death==
William Herschel and Mary had one child, [[John Herschel|John]], born at Observatory House on 7 March 1792. In 1816, William was made a Knight of the [[Royal Guelphic Order]] by the [[George IV of the United Kingdom|Prince Regent]] entitling him to the prefix 'Sir'. He helped to found the Astronomical Society of London in 1820, which in 1831 received a royal charter and became the [[Royal Astronomical Society]]. In 1813, he was elected a foreign member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]].

On 25 August 1822, Herschel died at Observatory House, Windsor Road, Slough, and is buried at nearby St Laurence's Church, Upton. His son [[John Herschel]] also became a famous astronomer. One of William's brothers, Alexander Herschel, moved permanently to England, near his sister [[Caroline Herschel|Caroline]] and nephew John. Caroline returned to [[Hanover]], Germany after the death of her brother. She died on 9 January 1848.<ref>[http://www.manfredholl.de/hersch.htm Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel (1738–1822)]. Manfredholl.de. Retrieved on 5 June 2011.</ref>

His house at 19 New King Street in [[Bath, Somerset]] where he made many [[telescope]]s and first observed Uranus, is now home to the [[Herschel Museum of Astronomy]].

==Named after Herschel==
[[Image:William Herschel.jpg|right|thumb|William Herschel]]
* The symbol for planet Uranus ([[file:Uranus's astrological symbol.svg|22px]]) features the capital initial letter of Herschel's surname.
* [[Mu Cephei]], two of the largest known stars in the universe, is also known as Herschel's Garnet Star
* [[Herschel (lunar crater)|Herschel]], a crater on the [[Moon]]
* [[Herschel (Martian crater)|Herschel]], a large [[Impact crater|impact basin]] on [[Mars]]
* The enormous crater [[Herschel (Mimantean crater)|Herschel]] on [[Saturn]]'s moon [[Mimas (moon)|Mimas]]
* [[2000 Herschel]], an asteroid
* The [[William Herschel Telescope]] on [[La Palma]]
* The [[Herschel Space Observatory]], successfully launched by the European Space Agency on 14 May 2009. It is the largest [[space telescope]] of its kind
* [[Herschel Grammar School]], Slough
* [[Rue Herschel]], a street in the 6th Arrondissement of Paris.
* The Herschel Building at [[City of Bath College]], [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]]
* The [[Herschel building]] at [[Newcastle University]], Newcastle, United Kingdom
* [[Herschel Museum of Astronomy]]
* [[Herschelschule]], Hanover, Germany, a grammar school
* [[Herschel, Saskatchewan]], Canada is a small, rural village that is home to the [[Ancient Echoes Interpretative Centre]]
* The Herschel Observatory, from the school Universitas in Santos, Brazil.
* The lunar crater [[C. Herschel (crater)|C. Herschel]], the asteroid [[281 Lucretia]], and the comet [[35P/Herschel-Rigollet]] are named after his sister [[Caroline Herschel]].
* A public house in Slough is named after him and is quite close to the site of Observatory House. Herschel Arms, 22 Park Street, Slough, Berkshire SL1 1PS
* [[Herschel Astronomical Society]] who operate the Herschel Memorial Observatory based in Eton, Berkshire.
* Herschel Park, Slough.
* New Slough Bus Station shape was inspired by the infrared experiement of Sir William Herschel. The Bus Station was built in 2011.

==See also==
*[[List of astronomical instrument makers]]
*[[List of largest optical telescopes historically]]
*[[German inventors and discoverers]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
* Holmes, Richard. ''The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science'' (2009) ISBN 978-1-4000-3187-0
* "William Herschel" by Michael Hoskin. ''New dictionary of Scientific Biography'' Scribners, 2008. v. 3, pp.&nbsp;289–291.
* {{Cite document|last=Holden|first=Edward S.|title=Sir William Herschel His Life and Works|year=1881|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|location=New York|ref=harv}}
*{{cite book|author=Mullaney, James |title=The Herschel objects and how to observe them|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=HFg2sOjrFtsC&pg=PA10|accessdate=5 June 2011|year=2007|isbn=978-0-387-68124-5|page=10|authorlink=James Mullaney}}
* [http://adsabs.harvard.edu//full/seri/JRASC/0074//0000134.000.html Biography: JRASC '''74''' (1980) 134]

==External links==
{{commons|William Herschel}}
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/similar/herschel.html William Herschel's Deep Sky Catalog]
* [http://www.handprint.com/ASTRO/herschel.html The William Herschel Double Star Catalogs Restored]
* Full text of ''[http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/12340 The Story of the Herschels]'' (1886) from [[Project Gutenberg]]
* [http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?search=ss&sText=herschel&LinkID=mp02166 Portraits of William Herschel] at the [[National Portrait Gallery (London)|National Portrait Gallery (United Kingdom)]]
* [http://www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/ Herschel Museum of Astronomy] located in his [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] home
* [http://www.williamherschel.org.uk/ William Herschel Society]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=Ml6DwyLbxdIC ''The Oboe Concertos of Sir William Herschel'', Wilbert Davis Jerome ed.] ISBN 0-87169-225-2
*{{worldcat id|id=lccn-n79-83314}}
*[http://contentdm.lindahall.org/u?/classics,4720 A notebook of Herschel's, dated from 1759] is available in the digital collections of the Linda Hall Library.
* Michael Lemonick: ''[http://www.osti.gov/sciencecinema/product.biblio.jsp?audiosearch=yes&osti_id=987524 William Herschel, the First Observational Cosmologist]'', 12 Nov 2008, Fermilab Colloquium, [http://www-ppd.fnal.gov/EPPOffice-w/colloq/colloq_08_09.html Text]

{{Authority control|VIAF=19885773}}

{{Copley Medallists 1751-1800}}
{{Uranus}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Herschel, Friedrich Wilhelm
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = 15 November 1738
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Hanover]], [[Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Brunswick-Lüneburg]], [[Holy Roman Empire]]
| DATE OF DEATH = 25 August 1822
| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Slough]], Berkshire, England
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herschel, Friedrich Wilhelm}}
[[Category:1738 births]]
[[Category:1822 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century astronomers]]
[[Category:19th-century astronomers]]
[[Category:British astronomers]]
[[Category:German astronomers]]
[[Category:German people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:British people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Uranus]]
[[Category:British composers]]
[[Category:German composers]]
[[Category:Classical era composers]]
[[Category:Discoverers of moons]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:People from Bath, Somerset]]
[[Category:People from Hanover]]
[[Category:People from Old Windsor]]
[[Category:People from Slough]]
[[Category:Walhalla enshrinees]]
[[Category:Knights of the Royal Guelphic Order]]
[[Category:Composers awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Copley Medal]]
[[Category:Scientific instrument makers]]
[[Category:British organists]]
[[Category:German organists]]
[[Category:German emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:18th-century German people]]
[[Category:19th-century German people]]
[[Category:18th-century British people]]
[[Category:19th-century British people]]

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[[is:William Herschel]]
[[it:William Herschel]]
[[he:ויליאם הרשל]]
[[jv:William Herschel]]
[[kk:Уильям Гершель]]
[[la:Gulielmus Herschel]]
[[lv:Viljams Heršels]]
[[lb:Wilhelm Herschel]]
[[lt:William Herschel]]
[[hu:William Herschel]]
[[ml:വില്യം ഹെര്‍ഷല്‍]]
[[mr:विल्यम हर्शेल]]
[[arz:ويليام هيرشيل]]
[[ms:William Herschel]]
[[nl:William Herschel]]
[[ja:ウィリアム・ハーシェル]]
[[no:William Herschel]]
[[nn:William Herschel]]
[[oc:William Herschel]]
[[pl:William Herschel]]
[[pt:William Herschel]]
[[ro:William Herschel]]
[[ru:Гершель, Уильям]]
[[scn:William Herschel]]
[[simple:William Herschel]]
[[sk:Frederick William Herschel]]
[[sl:William Herschel]]
[[sr:Вилхелм Хершел]]
[[sh:William Herschel]]
[[fi:William Herschel]]
[[sv:William Herschel]]
[[ta:வில்லியம் ஹேர்ச்செல்]]
[[th:วิลเลียม เฮอร์เชล]]
[[tr:William Herschel]]
[[uk:Фрідріх Вільгельм Гершель]]
[[vi:William Herschel]]
[[zh:威廉·赫歇爾]]

Revision as of 18:44, 22 May 2012