The Making of an Astronomer

Abstract

In the beginning of the nineteenth century plans were developed in England to establish an Astronomical Society (later Royal Astronomical Society, RAS) and to build an observatory on the southern part of the earth. John F. W. Herschel (1792–1871) was, although only 28 years of age, one of the founders of the Astronomical Society. Herschel was the son of the musician-astronomer William Herschel (1738–1822), who came from Hannover in Germany and was the discoverer of the seventh planet Uranus.