Science · Maths, astronomy, medicine & more

Caroline Herschel

1750–1848 · German-British (Hanoverian)

Astronomy — comets and nebulae

Caroline Herschel, born in Hanover, joined her brother William in Bath in 1772 and became his indispensable assistant after he turned from music to astronomy. She discovered eight comets between 1786 and 1797, becoming the first woman to discover a comet, and in 1787 George III granted her a salary of £50 a year, making her the first woman paid for scientific work. Her catalogue of William's nebulae earned her the Royal Astronomical Society's Gold Medal in 1828, the first awarded to a woman.

How to spot them

▸Sister and assistant of William Herschel, discoverer of Uranus
▸Eight comets discovered, the first on 1 August 1786 ('the first lady's comet')
▸Salary of £50 a year from George III in 1787
▸First woman to receive the RAS Gold Medal (1828); honorary RAS member with Mary Somerville in 1835
▸Trained as a concert singer in Bath; died in Hanover aged 97

Key discoveries & works

First comet discovered by a woman (1786)

Found on 1 August 1786, the first of eight comets she discovered up to 1797

Index to Flamsteed's Observations of the Fixed Stars (1798)

Published by the Royal Society, with a list of some 560 stars omitted from the British Catalogue

Discovery of the Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) (1783)

One of several nebulae she found while sweeping the sky with a small telescope

Catalogue of 2,500 nebulae and star clusters arranged in zones (1820s)

Reorganised her late brother's observations for her nephew John; won the RAS Gold Medal in 1828

Key ideas

Showed that a woman could make original, recognised contributions to astronomy at a time when this was almost unheard of
Systematic sky 'sweeping' with small telescopes proved highly productive for finding comets and nebulae
Careful reduction and cataloguing of observations as a scientific contribution in its own right

Quick-fire facts

•Born 16 March 1750 in Hanover; died 9 January 1848 in Hanover
•Typhus in childhood stunted her growth; her family expected her to be a household servant
•Moved to Bath in 1772, where she trained and performed as a singer alongside William's musical career
•Her 1787 royal salary of £50 a year made her the first woman known to be paid for scientific work
•RAS Gold Medal 1828; the next woman to win it was Vera Rubin in 1996
•Elected an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1835, together with Mary Somerville
•Received a gold medal for science from the King of Prussia on her 96th birthday
•The periodic comet 35P/Herschel–Rigollet and asteroid 281 Lucretia (her middle name) commemorate her

Drill it — 7 cards

1 / 7new card

Sources

MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews — Caroline Lucretia Herschel
Michael Hoskin — Caroline Herschel: Priestess of the New Heavens