Caroline Herschel(1750 — 1848)
Caroline Herschel
royaume de Hanovre
7 min read
Astronome pionnière originaire de Hanovre, Caroline Herschel découvrit huit comètes et contribua à cartographier le ciel aux côtés de son frère William. Elle fut la première femme à recevoir la médaille d'or de la Royal Astronomical Society, en 1828.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Née en 1750 à Hanovre, elle rejoint son frère William en Angleterre en 1772 pour l'assister dans ses travaux astronomiques.
- En 1786, elle découvre sa première comète, devenant la première femme officiellement reconnue pour une telle découverte.
- En 1787, le roi George III lui accorde un salaire officiel : elle devient ainsi la première femme rémunérée pour un travail scientifique en Angleterre.
- Elle découvrit au total huit comètes et contribua à l'Index des nébuleuses de Flamsteed.
- En 1828, la Royal Astronomical Society lui décerne sa médaille d'or ; elle en devient membre honoraire en 1835.
Works & Achievements
One of eight comets discovered by Caroline, this periodic comet bears her name and remains the most celebrated of her independent discoveries.
A supplementary catalogue correcting and completing Flamsteed's observations; published as an appendix to William's catalogue, it is recognized as an original scientific contribution.
A reference index enabling astronomers to quickly locate stars within Flamsteed's observations; a work that remained in use throughout the 19th century.
Revision and reorganization of the nebula catalogue established by William Herschel, submitted to the Royal Astronomical Society and praised as a remarkable achievement for a woman of 77.
A collection of journals and letters forming a valuable testimony on 18th-century scientific life and the position of women in the sciences.
Anecdotes
At the age of 10, Caroline contracted typhus, which stunted her growth and left her with a permanent height of barely 1.30 m. Her family intended her to become a servant, but her brother William brought her to Bath in 1772 so she could become a singer and assistant in his astronomical work. This move changed the course of her life.
In 1786, Caroline Herschel became the first woman to discover a comet, which she spotted with the naked eye from her garden in Slough. In total, she discovered eight in less than eleven years. King George III granted her an annual salary of 50 pounds sterling, making her the first woman paid by the British state for scientific work.
During observation nights with her brother William, Caroline did not merely record data: she would literally run through the darkness to log readings. One night in 1783, she seriously injured herself by striking an iron hook and had to be carried away as an emergency. She returned to work a few days later, refusing to let an injury interrupt the observations.
After William's death in 1822, Caroline, then 72 years old, returned to Hanover. Far from retiring, she set about reorganising and completing the vast catalogue of nebulous stars established by her brother. In 1828, the Royal Astronomical Society of London awarded her its gold medal — a distinction no woman received again for 168 years.
At 97, Caroline Herschel received a visit from the Crown Prince of Prussia, who wished to pay his respects. She recited her brother's work from memory and discussed astronomy with astonishing vivacity. She died at 98 in Hanover, leaving behind a colossal scientific body of work and a correspondence of several thousand letters.
Primary Sources
I have been, for near ten years past, the assistant (and where our means would allow it, the partner) of your father in all his labours.
On the 1st of August, 1786, I found a comet. I did not know what to make of it at first, but on calling to mind what I had seen in similar instances, I had no longer any doubt.
The errors I found in Flamsteed's catalogue gave me occasion to make this supplement, which I offer to astronomers as an useful addition.
I found I was to be trained for an assistant-astronomer, and by way of encouragement a telescope was given me. My brother began by making me acquainted with the use of the celestial globe.
Key Places
Caroline Herschel's birthplace, where she spent her childhood and to which she returned at age 72 after her brother's death. She died there in 1848.
English city where Caroline joined her brother William in 1772. It was there that she began her musical and astronomical training, and where she first started observing the sky.
The Herschel family home near Windsor, where Caroline discovered several of her comets and where the major observations leading to the nebula catalogue were carried out.
Scientific institution with which Caroline corresponded and whose star catalogues she used to establish her own reference works.
Learned society that awarded her its gold medal in 1828 and elected her an honorary member in 1835, officially recognising her contributions to astronomy.
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Découverte de la comète de Herschel-Rigollet (35P)
1788
Catalogue of 560 Stars observed by Flamsteed
1798
Index to Flamsteed's Observations of the Fixed Stars
1798
Revised Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (NGC)
1828
Journal autobiographique et correspondance
1772-1848
