The Scientific Legacy of William Herschel

By: Clifford J. Cunningham

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Synopsis: This book presents a modern scholarly analysis of issues associated with England'smost famous astronomer, William Herschel. The world's leading experts onHerschel, discoverer of the planet Uranus, here offer their combined wisdom on manyaspects of his life and astronomical research. Solar system topics includecomets, Earth's Moon, and the spurious moons of Uranus, all objects whose observation was pioneered by Herschel. The contributors examine his study of thestructure of the Milky Way and an in-depth look at the development of the front view telescopes he built. The popular subject of extraterrestriallife is looked at from the point of view of both William Herschel and his sonJohn, both of whom had an interest in the topic. William's personal development through the educational system of the lateeighteenth-century is also explored, and the wide range of verse and satire invarious languages associated with his discoveries is collected here for thefirst time. Hershel worked at a time of incredible discovery, and his work is still highly regarded in the field. Here it is given a thorough investigation which puts into context and perspective his path breaking career.