Caroline Herschel
Caroline Lucretia Herschel was a German astronomer who lived between 1750-1848. Caroline originally came to England to receive a music education, but she worked in England most of her life alongside her brother, William Herschel, helping him make astronomical observations and then making her own. She
discovered three new nebulae (hazy clouds from which stars form) in 1783. She
also discovered eight comets between 1786-1797. In addition, she published two
astronomical catalogues which are still used today.
In 1835, Caroline was the first women to be awarded an honorary membership into
Britain's Royal Society. In 1838, she was elected to membership in the Royal
Irish Academy. Caroline received the Gold Medel for Science from the King of
Prussia in 1846.
In her spare time, Caroline assisted her brother, William Herschel, in his workshop grinding metal mirrors.
Caroline Herschel died on January 9, 1848, at age 98. She is buried in Germany.
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