William Herschel's Workshop
by Sheila Terry
Title
William Herschel's Workshop
Artist
Sheila Terry
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Part of the workshop of William Herschel (1738-1822) at his house in New King Street, Bath. Amongst the tools on his workbench which he used in the construction of astronomical telescopes is a replica of the hand-operated, speculum grinding/polishing machine he made to shape and polish a large number small speculum alloy metal mirrors about 6-inches (150mm) in diameter. In 1778 in this workshop he constructed a 7-foot Newtonian reflector telescope using a 6.2 inch parabolic mirror and, with the assistance of his sister Caroline, began a survey of the heavens, resulting in his catalogue of multiple stars and the discovery of the planet Uranus in 1781. This brought him world-wide fame and the superior quality of his mirrors, which he cast himself, and his improvements in telescope design brought him commissions for instruments and many lucrative sales.
Uploaded
June 30th, 2016
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