Great Astronomers: William Herschel

Sir Frederick William Herschel, (Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel) (1738-1822) was a German-born British astronomer, telescope maker, and composer. He became famous for the first discovery of a planet not visible to the naked eye, the planet Uranus, and two of its major moons (Titania and Oberon), and two moons of Saturn. He was the first person to discover infrared radiation.

Herschel's first profession was composing and performing music, with astronomy being his hobby. He is known for the tw ...