52 Facts About Caroline Herschel

Caroline Herschel was the younger sister of astronomer William Herschel, with whom she worked throughout her career.

Caroline Herschel was the first woman to receive a salary as a scientist and the first woman in England to hold a government position.

Caroline Herschel was the first woman to publish scientific findings in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, to be awarded a Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, and to be named an honorary Member of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Caroline Herschel was named an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy.

Caroline Herschel was the eighth child and fourth daughter of Isaak Herschel, a self-taught oboist, and his wife, Anna Ilse Moritzen.

The Caroline Herschel family originated from Pirna in Saxony, near Dresden.

Caroline Herschel became ill after the Battle of Dettingen in 1743 and never recovered fully; he suffered a weak constitution, chronic pain, and asthma for the remainder of his life.

Caroline Herschel married violinist Johann Heinrich Griesbach when Caroline was five, which resulted in the younger girl being tasked with much of the household drudgery.

Caroline Herschel's father attempted to educate her at home but his efforts were more successful with the boys.

Caroline Herschel's family assumed that she would never marry and her mother thought better that she train to be a house servant than be educated in accordance with her father's wishes.

Caroline Herschel did not blend into the local society and made few friends, but was finally able to indulge her desire to learn, and took regular singing, English, and arithmetic lessons from her brother, and dance lessons from a local teacher.

Caroline Herschel learned to play the harpsichord, and eventually became an integral part in William's musical performances at small gatherings.

Caroline Herschel declined to sing for any conductor but William, and after that performance, her career as a singer began to decline.

Caroline Herschel was replaced as a performer by distinguished soloists from outside the area because William wished to spend less time in rehearsals to focus on astronomy.

When William became increasingly interested in astronomy, transforming himself from a musician to an astronomer, Caroline Herschel again supported his efforts.

Caroline Herschel became a significant astronomer in her own right as a result of her collaboration with him.

Caroline Herschel spent many hours polishing mirrors and mounting telescopes in order to maximize the amount of light captured.

Caroline Herschel learned to copy astronomical catalogues and other publications that William had borrowed.

Caroline Herschel learned to record, reduce, and organize her brother's astronomical observations.

Caroline Herschel recognized that this work demanded speed, precision and accuracy.

Caroline Herschel was asked to move from the high culture of Bath to the relative backwater of Datchet in 1782, a small town near Windsor Castle where William would be on hand to entertain royal guests.

Caroline Herschel presumed that Caroline would become his assistant, a role she did not initially accept.

Caroline Herschel was unhappy with the accommodations they had taken; the house they rented for three years had a leaky ceiling and Caroline described it as "the ruins of a place".

Caroline Herschel was aghast at the prices in the city and the fact that their domestic servant was imprisoned for theft at the time of her arrival.

Caroline Herschel was unhappy with this task at the beginning of her work, longing for the culture of Bath and feeling isolated and lonely, but gradually developed a love for the work.

Caroline Herschel was relegated to a ladder on William's 20-foot reflector, attempting impossible measurements of double stars.

Caroline Herschel sat by a window inside, William shouted his observations, and Caroline recorded.

In 1798 Caroline Herschel presented to the Royal Society an index to John Flamsteed's observations, together with a catalog of 560 stars omitted from the British Catalogue and a list of the errata in that publication.

Caroline Herschel had unquestioned priority as discoverer of five of the comets and rediscovered Comet Encke in 1795.

Caroline Herschel wrote a letter to the Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne to announce the discovery of her second comet.

Caroline Herschel announced both of these to Sir Joseph Banks, and all were discovered with her 1783 telescope.

In 1791, Caroline Herschel began to use a 9-inch telescope for her comet-searching, and discovered three more comets with this instrument.

Caroline Herschel announced this discovery by sending a letter to Banks.

Caroline Herschel's appointment made her the first woman in England honoured with an official government position, and the first woman to be paid for her work in astronomy.

Caroline Herschel therefore recommended to Caroline that she undertake the task, which ultimately took 20 months.

In 1825, Caroline Herschel donated the works of Flamsteed to the Royal Academy of Gottingen.

Caroline Herschel has been referred to as a bitter, jealous woman who worshipped her brother and resented those who invaded their domestic lives.

Caroline Herschel moved from the house to external lodgings, returning daily to work with her brother.

In later life, she and Lady Caroline Herschel exchanged affectionate letters, and she became deeply attached to her nephew, astronomer John Caroline Herschel.

William's marriage likely led to Caroline Herschel becoming more independent of her brother and more a figure in her own right.

Caroline Herschel made many discoveries independently of William and continued to work solo on many of the astronomical projects which contributed to her rise to fame.

Caroline Herschel saw him educated at Cambridge, make a name for himself as a mathematician, become elected to the Royal Society, join his father in research in astronomy and be awarded the Copley Medal of the Royal Society for his achievements.

Caroline Herschel continued to assist William with his observations but her status had greatly improved from the housekeeper she had been in her young days.

Caroline Herschel was the guest of Maskelyne at the Royal Observatory in 1799 and a guest of members of the Royal Family at various times in 1816,1817 and 1818.

Caroline Herschel had given him his first introduction into astronomy, when she showed him the constellations in Flamsteed's Atlas.

Caroline Herschel added her final entry to her observing book on 31 January 1824 about the Great Comet of 1823, which had already been discovered on 29 December 1823.

Caroline Herschel spent her last years writing her memoirs and lamenting her body's limitations, which kept her from making any more original discoveries.

Caroline Herschel died peacefully in Hanover on 9 January 1848.

Caroline Herschel was honoured by the King of Prussia and the Royal Astronomical Society.

Caroline Herschel was elected as an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin in 1838.

Caroline Herschel's earned salary from King George III made her the first known professional female astronomer.

Caroline Herschel filmed a live acoustic version of the song at The Herschel Museum in Bath, sat in the old music room where Caroline and her brother used to rehearse for local concerts.