William Herschel

astronomer · discovery · telescope

Built amazing telescopes. William Herschel didn't just use telescopes, he built his own and made them better than anyone else's at the time. His homemade telescopes let him see things in space that no one had ever spotted before.

Found Uranus. In 1781, Herschel discovered the planet Uranus using one of his telescopes. Nobody had seen this planet before because it's so far away and dim, so finding it doubled the known size of our solar system.

Started as a musician. Before he became famous for astronomy, William Herschel was a professional musician who played the oboe and composed music. He was really good at music, but he became even more famous for discovering things in space.

Worked with his sister. William's younger sister Caroline was also an astronomer and they discovered many things together. Caroline was so good at her job that she became the first woman in Britain to earn money as a scientist.

Mapped the stars. Herschel spent years creating detailed maps of the night sky and counting stars in different directions. His work helped scientists understand that the Milky Way was much bigger and more complex than anyone had thought.