Caroline Lucretia Herschel
Caroline Lucretia Herschel (March 16, 1750 - January 9, 1848) was a German-British astronomer renowned for her pioneering contributions to observational astronomy. She worked closely with her brother William Herschel, taking part in systematic sky surveys and the compilation of stellar catalogs. Between 1786 and 1797, she discovered eight comets and made significant corrections and additions to contemporary catalogs of stars and nebulae. Her work played a decisive role in advancing celestial cartography and the study of the structure of the heavens, earning her early institutional recognition for scientific achievement.
Quotes
- My dear nephew was only in his sixth year when I came to be detached from the family circle. But this did not hinder John and I from remaining the most affectionate friends, and many a half or whole holiday he was allowed to spend with me, was dedicated to making experiments in chemistry, where generally all boxes, tops of tea-canisters, pepper-boxes, teacups, &c., served for the necessary vessels, and the sand-tub furnished the matter to be analysed. I only had to take care to exclude water, which would have produced havoc on my carpet.