In 1787, thanks to discovering many new celestial bodies and helping her brother, Caroline Herschel was paid by King George III, becoming a professional female astronomer.
Astronomer Caroline Herschel. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Caroline Herschel was the first professional female astronomer in Britain and made important contributions to the field of astronomy today. Yet many astronomers probably don’t even recognise her name. Most scientists are interested in the latest techniques, data and theories in their field, but may not know the details of its history, and astronomers are no exception.
Caroline Herschel was born in Germany in 1750 and had a difficult childhood. A bout of typhus left her scarred as a child. Her family assumed she would never marry and treated her as an unpaid servant. Caroline was forced to do housework, despite her love of learning as a child. She eventually ran away from home and went to Bath, England, with her brother, William Herschel.
Caroline was initially a reluctant astronomer, having shown no interest in astronomy until William became fascinated with it. Although she complained about her brother's various interests, including music and astronomy, Caroline eventually admitted that she truly loved studying the celestial bodies.
At that time, astronomers were mainly concerned with finding new celestial objects and accurately mapping the sky. Using telescopes to search for new comets and nebulae was also common. William Herschel became famous for discovering Uranus in 1781, although he initially mistook the planet for a comet.
Caroline started her career as William's assistant. She focused mainly on equipment-related work, such as polishing telescope mirrors. Caroline also helped copy catalogs and carefully recorded William's observations. But then she began to make her own observations.
Caroline Herschel worked with her brother William on many scientific projects. Photo: A. Diethe/Wikimedia Commons
In 1782, Caroline began recording the locations of new objects in her diary. On August 1, 1782, she discovered a new comet, making her the first person to observe it through a telescope. This was the first comet discovery by a woman. She went on to discover seven more comets over the next 11 years.
During this period, actual observation of a new object ensured public recognition. Therefore, Caroline is only credited with the comets she saw through the telescope. For everything else, such as recording and organizing all the data from William's observations, she is less credited than her brother. For example, when Caroline compiled all of William's observations into a catalogue, the work was published under William's name. Caroline is referred to only as "assistant".
Nevertheless, in recognition of her discoveries and her work as an assistant to William, King George III paid Caroline a salary in 1787, making her a professional female astronomer. She was the first woman in Britain to earn an income from pursuing astronomy.
Caroline later reorganized the catalog in a more efficient way. This update later served as the basis for the New General Catalogue, which astronomers still use today. The Herschel brothers also created the first map of the Milky Way—the galaxy that contains Earth—although it was not entirely accurate.
Thu Thao (According to Conversation )
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