Caroline Herschel was the first female astronomer to achieve stardom

Posted in Astronomy, Historical articles, History on Tuesday, 21 May 2013

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This edited article about Caroline Herschel originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 261 published on 14 January 1967.

Caroline Herschel, picture, image, illustration

Caroline Herschel

In an observatory near Slough, a man peered through the eyepiece of a telescope. For 12 hours he had been hunched before his instrument. Beside him sat a pretty girl. Sometimes she would raise a cup to his lips, or put a piece of food in his mouth to prevent him fainting from hunger.

The man was William Herschel, one of the greatest astronomers of all time. The girl was his sister Caroline, and few men have had such devoted helpers.

It was common for William to watch the stars through the night while Caroline took down his notes as he could not leave the telescope for even a few seconds. Then, when he had fallen into bed exhausted at dawn, she would set to and rewrite the scribbled notes and calculations in her neat handwriting.

She was more than an assistant. She became an expert in astronomy and her first success in her own right came in 1798 when she published her ‘Catalogue of Stars’. In those days the woman’s place was considered to be very definitely in the home, yet Caroline’s book was accepted by scientists as a great work.

The crowning moment of her life came on 8th February, 1829, when she was awarded the Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal. Not only had she helped her brother in his achievements, but, using a telescope which he had made specially for her, she had discovered no less than seven new comets.

Her career as one of the first women astronomers ended at the great age of 97. She died on 9th January, 1848.

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