Caroline Lucretia Herschel

British-German Astronomer, Caroline Herschel
Credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

Born in Hanover, Germany in March 1750, Caroline Herschel moved to England at the age of 22 with her brother, William. Once in England, Caroline established herself as a successful singer while her brother taught music. The Herschel siblings ceased their musical careers after William accepted the private office of court astronomer to George III in 1782 (William's interest in astronomy had been steadily growing, discovering the planet Uranus in 1781). Caroline assisted her brother by grinding and polishing mirrors, in addition to making difficult calculations that were based on William's observations. Needless to say, Caroline was taking a keen interest in astronomy. She began making her own observations and discoveries with a small Newtonian reflector telescope. During her observations, Caroline identified numerous nebulae and comets, becoming the first woman to discover a comet.

In 1783, William began a 20-year observational study of the night sky, with Caroline recording what he saw through his telescope. They eventually compiled 2,500 new nebulae and star clusters into a list that would become the New General Catalogue (NGC). After her brother's death in 1822, Caroline returned to Germany where she continued cataloging nebulae. Recognizing the significant contribution that Caroline had made to astronomy, Britain's prestigious Royal Society presented her with an honorary membership. So great was her impact on astronomy that the lunar crater C. Herschel bears her name as does the asteroid 281 Lucretia.