The Caldwell Objects

W i l l i a m H e r s c h e l :
The Greatest Visual
Observer of All Time
Based on The Scientific Papers of Sir
William Herschel (London: The Royal
Society and the Royal Astronomical Society,
1912).
Larry Mitchell
A MONG THE ASTRONOMICAL LUM-
inaries of the 18th century, none
shone as brightly as William Herschel
(1738-1822). His contributions to
astronomy were unrivaled in his day,
and they greatly expanded
humanity's perception of the
universe. Herschel was passionately
devoted to astronomy. He tirelessly
pursued his endeavors both day and
night, often becoming thoroughly
consumed with each project. He had
to engineer,
and then build, the great instruments he used at
night — often all night. Such devotion is almost
unheard of today. Yet Herschel pursued his
passion in this way for about 40 years.
The Caldwell Catalog is replete with Herschelian
discoveries, which is not surprising.
After Charles Messier (1730-1817) published his
famous catalog of comet masqueraders, Herschel
undertook the first systematic visual survey of
the night sky with a large-aperture telescope,
discovering 2,508 additional deep-sky objects.
Herschel, however, was much more than a deepsky
devotee. He was a prolific observer of
everything in the heavens. Indeed, his views of
deep-sky objects were influenced in part by his
observations of the stars and planets, as well as
his belief in the plurality of worlds.
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Appendix C
BEGINNINGS AND FAMILY
FriedrichWilhelm (later William) Herschel was
born on November 15, 1738, in Hanover, Germany.
He was one of 10 children born to Isaac
and Anna and is said to have inherited his energy
and perseverance from his father, a musician in
the Hanoverian Guard. William followed in his
father's footsteps, though not necessarily by
choice. When he was four his father sat him on a
table and commanded him to play the fiddle. By
his late teens William was an excellent musician
and eminent composer, and in 1756 he toured
England for several months with his father and
the Guard. The country and culture left a lasting
impression on the young composer, and in the
autumn of 1757 William left Germany for
England, where he lived for the rest of his life.
Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects