Caroline Herschel
Sciences & Discovery • Historical Archive • 🇩🇪 Germany • 8 views

Caroline Herschel 🇩🇪

Caroline Lucretia Herschel (Known as "The Comet Hunter & First Professional Woman Astronomer")
Astronomer, Discoverer of Comets, First Woman Awarded Royal Gold Medal
Born 16 March 1750 🇩🇪 Hanover, Germany
Passed Away 9 January 1848 Hanover, Germany
Lifespan 97 years old
8 views
Notice / Correction
"The eyes of her who is glorified here below turned to the starry heavens. As much as we can discover, infinite wonders remain beyond."

Archival Overview

First woman to receive a salary as a professional scientist, who discovered eight comets (including periodic comet 35P/Herschel-Rigollet) and compiled the definitive NGC nebula catalogs.

Biographical Record

Caroline Lucretia Herschel (1750–1848) survived childhood typhus and stunted growth in Hanover before joining her brother William in England. Beginning as his astronomical recorder and telescope polisher, she soon developed into an exceptional observational astronomer in her own right, sweeping the heavens with a specialized 'small sweeper' reflector.

Between 1786 and 1797, Caroline discovered eight new comets—the first woman to discover a comet. In 1787, King George III granted her an official royal salary of £50 a year, making her the first woman in history employed as a professional scientist. She painstakingly verified, corrected, and expanded Flamsteed's Star Catalogue, earning the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1828.

Key Life Milestones

1 August 1786 CE

First Woman to Discover a Comet

Discovered comet C/1786 P1 (Herschel), the first of eight comets she discovered independently.

1828 CE

Awarded Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society

Awarded Britain's highest astronomical honor for her catalog of 2,500 nebulae and star clusters.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Gartengemeinde Cemetery (Caroline Herschel Tomb)
Hanover, Germany
GPS: 52.3686, 9.7431
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