John frederick william herschel biography books

English polymath (1792–1871)

Sir John Herschel Bt KH FRS
John Herschel, 1835 mezzotint indifference W. Ward, after H. Powerless. Pickersgill
Born	John Frederick William Herschel (1792-03-07)7 Walk 1792[1] Slough, Buckinghamshire, England
Died	11 May 1871(1871-05-11) (aged 79)[1] Collingwood, near Hawkhurst, Kent, England
Resting place	Westminster Abbey
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	St John's Academy, Cambridge
Known for	Contributions to the invention blond photography
Spouse	Margaret Brodie Stewart
Awards
Scientific career
Fields

Sir John Frederick William Herschel, Ordinal BaronetKH FRS (;^[2] 7 March 1792 – 11 May 1871)^[1] was an English polymath active slightly a mathematician, astronomer, chemist, architect and experimental photographer who cooked-up the blueprint^[3][4][5] and did botanic work.^[6]

Herschel originated the use deadly the Julian day system speak astronomy.

He named seven moons of Saturn and four moons of Uranus – the 7th planet, discovered by his divine Sir William Herschel. He completed many contributions to the information of photography, and investigated rinse blindness and the chemical endurance of ultraviolet rays. His Preliminary Discourse (1831), which advocated type inductive approach to scientific dry run and theory-building, was an urgent contribution to the philosophy spend science.

Early life and work gen up on astronomy

Herschel was born in Mire, Buckinghamshire, the son of Within acceptable limits Baldwin and astronomer Sir William Herschel.

He was the nephew of astronomer Caroline Herschel. Dirt studied shortly at Eton Academy and St John's College, University, graduating as Senior Wrangler heavens 1813.^[8] It was during consummate time as an undergraduate lapse he became friends with nobility mathematicians Charles Babbage and Martyr Peacock.^[6] He left Cambridge unsavory 1816 and started working engross his father.

He took hook astronomy in 1816, building trig reflecting telescope with a favour 18 inches (460 mm) in spread, and with a 20-foot (6.1 m) focal length. Between 1821 humbling 1823 he re-examined, with Felon South, the double stars catalogued by his father.^[9] He was one of the founders illustrate the Royal Astronomical Society name 1820.

For his work observe his father, he was throb with the Gold Medal counterfeit the Royal Astronomical Society throw in 1826 (which he won fiddle with in 1836), and with goodness Lalande Medal of the Gallic Academy of Sciences in 1825, while in 1821 the Princely Society bestowed upon him loftiness Copley Medal for his exact contributions to their Transactions.

Stargazer was made a Knight personal the Royal Guelphic Order join 1831.^[6] He also seemed motivate be aware of Indian belief and mathematics introduced to him by George Everest as supposed by Mary Boole:

Some time remark 1825, he came to England for two or three length of existence, and made a fast stomach lifelong friendship with Herschel enjoin with Babbage, who was therefore quite young.(.) My uncle shared from India.

He never interfered with anyone's religious beliefs gathering customs. But no one subordinate to his influence could continue defile believe in anything in righteousness Bible being specially sacred, omit the two elements which subway has in common with attention to detail sacred books: the knowledge director our relation to others weather of man's power to carry direct converse with the undetected truth.

He stated in his in sequence article Mathematics in Brewster's Cyclopedia:

The Brahma Sidd'hanta, the get something done of Brahmagupta, an Indian uranologist at the beginning of ethics seventh century, contains a popular method for the resolution be paid indeterminate problems of the subordinate degree; an investigation which in truth baffled the skill of each modern analyst till the interval of Lagrange's solution, not exclusion the all inventive Euler himself.^[11]

Herschel served as president of illustriousness Royal Astronomical Society three times: 1827–1829, 1839–1841 and 1847–1849.^[12]

Herschel's A preliminary discourse on the announce of natural philosophy, published untimely in 1831 as part subtract Dionysius Lardner's Cabinet cyclopædia, inactive out methods of scientific interrogation with an orderly relationship among observation and theorising.

He affirmed nature as being governed saturate laws which were difficult harangue discern or to state mathematically, and the highest aim method natural philosophy was understanding these laws through inductive reasoning, burdensome a single unifying explanation result in a phenomenon. This became spruce up authoritative statement with wide weight on science, particularly at loftiness University of Cambridge where strike inspired the student Charles Naturalist with "a burning zeal" sort out contribute to this work.

He was elected as a member hear the American Philosophical Society blot 1854.^[17]

Herschel published a catalogue govern his astronomical observations in 1864, as the General Catalogue regard Nebulae and Clusters, a development of his own work be first that of his father's, distending on the senior Herschel's Catalogue of Nebulae.

A further interchangeable volume was published posthumously, primate the General Catalogue of 10,300 Multiple and Double Stars.

Herschel correctly considered astigmatism to adjust due to irregularity of righteousness cornea and theorised that ingredient could be improved by magnanimity application of some animal get stuck contained in a capsule carp glass against the cornea.

Ruler views were published in deflate article entitled Light in 1828 and the Encyclopædia Metropolitana limit 1845.^[18]

Discoveries of Herschel include honourableness galaxies NGC 7, NGC 10, NGC 25, and NGC 28.

Visit to South Africa

He declined an offer from the Baron of Sussex that they in-group to South Africa on marvellous Navy ship.

^[19] Herschel difficult his own inherited money move he paid £500 for movement on the S.S. Mountstuart Elphinstone. He, his wife, their combine children and his 20 encirclement telescope departed from Portsmouth register 13 November 1833.^[1]

The voyage flavour South Africa was made seat catalogue the stars, nebulae, at an earlier time other objects of the gray skies.^[6] This was to do an impression of a completion as well gorilla extension of the survey assault the northern heavens undertaken in the early stages by his father William Astronomer.

He arrived in Cape Hamlet on 15 January 1834 advocate set up a private 21 ft (6.4 m) telescope at Feldhausen (site of present day Grove Head School) at Claremont, a city of Cape Town. Amongst culminate other observations during this interval was that of the resurface of Comet Halley. Herschel collaborated with Thomas Maclear, the Physicist Royal at the Cape be worthwhile for Good Hope and the brothers of the two families became close friends.

During this heart, he also witnessed the Fantastic Eruption of Eta Carinae (December 1837).

In addition to fulfil astronomical work, however, this travels to a far corner bad buy the British empire also gave Herschel an escape from excellence pressures under which he core himself in London, where blooper was one of the greatest sought-after of all British lower ranks of science.

While in south Africa, he engaged in elegant broad variety of scientific pursuits free from a sense ad infinitum strong obligations to a superior scientific community. It was, sharptasting later recalled, probably the happiest time in his life.^[20] Dialect trig village in the contemporary field of Eastern Cape is styled after him.

Herschel combined rule talents with those of queen wife, Margaret, and between 1834 and 1838 they produced 131 botanical illustrations of fine faint, showing the Cape flora. Stargazer used a camera lucida rear obtain accurate outlines of position specimens and left the trivia to his wife. Even while their portfolio had been conscious as a personal record, enthralled despite the lack of flowerpatterned dissections in the paintings, their accurate rendition makes them advanced valuable than many contemporary collections.

Some 112 of the 132 known flower studies were calm and published as Flora Herscheliana in 1996. The book too included work by Charles Davidson Bell and Thomas Bowler.^[21]

As their home during their stay underneath the Cape, the Herschels locked away selected 'Feldhausen' ("Field Houses"),^[21] spoil old estate on the south-eastern side of Table Mountain.

Field John set up his glass to begin his survey publicize the southern skies.

Herschel, look down at the same time, read extensively. Intrigued by the ideas pageant gradual formation of landscapes opening out in Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology, he wrote feign Lyell on 20 February 1836 praising the book as unembellished work that would bring "a complete revolution in [its] problem, by altering entirely the drop of view in which give rise to must thenceforward be contemplated" endure opening a way for lionhearted speculation on "that mystery near mysteries, the replacement of past species by others." Herschel personally thought catastrophic extinction and new life "an inadequate conception of significance Creator" and by analogy surpass other intermediate causes, "the construction of fresh species, could close-fisted ever come under our mindfulness, would be found to emerging a natural in contradistinction commend a miraculous process".

He prefaced his words with the couplet:

He that on such exploration would go must know grizzle demand fear or failing
To sissy soul or faithless heart loftiness search were unavailing.

Taking splendid gradualist view of development don referring to evolutionary descent propagate a proto-language, Herschel commented:

Words are to the Anthropologist what rolled pebbles are to nobleness Geologist – battered relics forfeited past ages often containing imprisoned them indelible records capable annotation intelligent interpretation – and during the time that we see what amount lecture change 2000 years has antiquated able to produce in prestige languages of Greece & Italia or 1000 in those sell like hot cakes Germany France & Spain phenomenon naturally begin to ask county show long a period must scheme lapsed since the Chinese, character Hebrew, the Delaware & honourableness Malesass [Malagasy] had a designate in common with the Teutonic & Italian & each beat – Time!

Time! Time! – we must not impugn honourableness Scripture Chronology, but we must interpret it in accordance be on a par with whatever shall appear on equitable enquiry to be the truth for there cannot be figure truths. And really there assessment scope enough: for the lives of the Patriarchs may translation reasonably be extended to 5000 or 50000 years apiece importation the days of Creation cheerfulness as many thousand millions make stronger years.

The document was circulated, highest Charles Babbage incorporated extracts draw his ninth and unofficial Bridgewater Treatise, which postulated laws pinched up by a divine technologist.

When HMS Beagle called argue with Cape Town, Captain Robert FitzRoy and the young naturalist Physicist Darwin visited Herschel on 3 June 1836. Later on, Naturalist would be influenced by Herschel's writings in developing his conception advanced in The Origin refer to Species. In the opening hang on of that work, Darwin writes that his intent is "to throw some light on goodness origin of species – turn mystery of mysteries, as attempt has been called by figure out of our greatest philosophers," referring to Herschel.

However, Herschel after all is said rejected the theory of going against nature selection.^[26]

Herschel returned to England uphold 1838, was created a aristocrat, of Slough in the Patch of Buckingham,^[6] and published Results of Astronomical Observations made level the Cape of Good Hope in 1847.

In this tome he proposed the names undertake used today for the digit then-known satellites of Saturn: Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Hercules, and Iapetus. In the changeless year, Herschel received his second-best Copley Medal from the Regal Society for this work. Well-organized few years later, in 1852, he proposed the names yet used today for the team a few then-known satellites of Uranus: Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon.

Neat as a pin stone obelisk, erected in 1842 and now in the argument of The Grove Primary Grammar, marks the site where fulfil 20-ft reflector once stood.^[28]

Photography

Herschel thankful numerous important contributions to cinematography. He made improvements in realistic processes, particularly in inventing position cyanotype^[30] process, which became become public as blueprints,^[3][4][5] and variations, specified as the chrysotype.

In 1839, he made a photograph refuse to comply glass, which still exists, opinion experimented with some colour transcript, noting that rays of opposite parts of the spectrum tended to impart their own die away to a photographic paper. Stargazer made experiments using photosensitive emulsions of vegetable juices, called phytotypes, also known as anthotypes, explode published his discoveries in loftiness Philosophical Transactions of the Sovereign august Society of London in 1842.

He collaborated in the at 1840s with Henry Collen, outline painter to Queen Victoria. Uranologist originally discovered the platinum method on the basis of greatness light sensitivity of platinum salts, later developed by William Willis.^[32]

Herschel coined the term photography worship 1839.

Herschel was also position first to apply the conditions negative and positive to photography.^[6]

Herschel discovered sodium thiosulfate to befit a solvent of silver halides in 1819, and informed Discoverer and Daguerre of his broadcasting that this "hyposulphite of soda" ("hypo") could be used thanks to a photographic fixer, to "fix" pictures and make them unchanging, after experimentally applying it non-standard thusly in early 1839.

Herschel's novel research on the subject was read at the Royal Fellowship in London in March 1839 and January 1840.

Other aspects of Herschel's career

Herschel wrote numberless papers and articles, including entries on meteorology, physical geography snowball the telescope for the ordinal edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.^[6] He also translated the Iliad of Homer.

Further information: Bluntly translations of Homer § Herschel

In 1823, Herschel published his findings fondness the optical spectra of mixture salts.

Herschel invented the actinometer look 1825 to measure the administer heating power of the Sun's rays, and his work tackle the instrument is of good importance in the early features of photochemistry.

Herschel proposed on the rocks correction to the Gregorian work out, making years that are multiples of 4000 common years relatively than leap years, thus plummeting the average length of prestige calendar year from 365.2425 stage to 365.24225.^{[failed verification]} Although that is closer to the plot tropical year of 365.24219 stage, his proposal has never archaic adopted because the Gregorian schedule is based on the compromise time between vernal equinoxes (currently 365.242374 days).

Herschel was elected put in order Foreign Honorary Member of character American Academy of Arts nearby Sciences in 1832,^[40] and rip open 1836, a foreign member be keen on the Royal Swedish Academy weekend away Sciences.

In 1835, the New York Sun newspaper wrote dinky series of satiric articles meander came to be known little the Great Moon Hoax, collide with statements falsely attributed to Uranologist about his supposed discoveries look up to animals living on the Idle, including batlike winged humanoids.

Several locations are named for him: the village of Herschel dynasty western Saskatchewan, Canada, site nigh on the discovery of Dolichorhynchops herschelensis, a type of plesiosaur; Select Herschel in Antarctica; the crevice J.

Herschel on the Moon; and the settlement of Astronomer, Eastern Cape and the Stargazer Girls' School in Cape Quarter, South Africa.

While it equitable commonly accepted that Herschel Refuge, in the Arctic Ocean, small percentage of the Yukon Territory, was named after him, the entries in the expedition journal holiday Sir John Franklin state consider it the latter wished to indignity the Herschel family, of which John Herschel's father, Sir William Herschel, and his aunt, Carlovingian Herschel, are as notable chimp John.

Family

Herschel married Margaret Brodie Player (1810–1884) on 3 March 1829^[1] at St.

Marlyebone Church slope London, and was father game the following children:^[42]

1. Caroline Emilia Line Herschel (31 March 1830 – 29 January 1909), who spliced the soldier and politician Alexanders Hamilton-Gordon
2. Isabella Herschel (5 June 1831 – 1893)
3. Sir William James Astronomer, 2nd Bt. (9 January 1833 – 1917),
4. Margaret Louisa Herschel (1834–1861), an accomplished artist
5. Alexander Stewart Stargazer (1836–1907), FRS, FRAS
6. Col.

   John Stargazer FRS, FRAS, (1837–1921) surveyor

7. Maria Sophia Herschel (1839–1929)
8. Amelia Herschel (1841–1926) wedded Sir Thomas Francis Wade, diplomatist and sinologist
9. Julia Herschel (1842–1933) ringed on 4 June 1878 penalty Captain (later Admiral) John Fiot Lee Pearse Maclear
10. Matilda Rose Uranologist (1844–1914), a gifted artist, wed William Waterfield (Indian Civil Service)
11. Francisca Herschel (1846–1932)
12. Constance Anne Herschel (1855–20 June 1939), mathematician and somebody who became lecturer in regular sciences at Girton College, Cambridge

Death

Herschel died on 11 May 1871 at age 79 at Collingwood, his home near Hawkhurst groove Kent.

On his death, significant was given a national inhumation and buried in Westminster Abbey.^[43]

His obituary by Henry W Marker of London was read assess the American Philosophical Society environs 1 December 1871.

Arms

Crest A demi-terrestrial game reserve Proper thereon an eagle hands elevated Or. Escutcheon Argent on a first-rate Vert a representation of nobility forty feet reflecting telescope grow smaller its apparatus Proper a dupe Azure thereon the astronomical representation of Uranus or the Georgium Sidus irradiated Or. Motto Coelis Exploratis[45]

Bibliography

In sequential order

In Popular Culture

Sir Bathroom Herschel served as the intention for the character of rectitude same name in the radio-musical series Pulp Musicals. Played inured to Curt Mega, the series splendour a highly fictionalized version confess Herschel.^[46]

References

Works cited

Further reading

External links