William Herschel

German-born British astronomer and composer (1738–1822)
Person human Q14277
William Herschel
Lemuel Francis Abbott · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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William Herschel

Summary

William Herschel is a human[1]. He was born in Hanover[2]. He was born on November 15, 1738[3]. He passed away in Slough[4]. He died on August 15, 1822[5]. He worked as an astronomer[6], composer[7], oboist[8], musician[9], and physicist[10]. He ranks in the top 0.66% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (2,883 views/month, #6,565 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • William Herschel was born in Hanover[2].
  • William Herschel passed away in Slough[4].
  • William Herschel was born on November 15, 1738[3].
  • William Herschel died on August 15, 1822[5].
  • William Herschel died on August 21, 1822[12].
  • William Herschel died on August 23, 1822[13].
  • William Herschel died on August 25, 1822[14].
  • William Herschel is buried at Church of St Laurence, Upton-cum-Chalvey[15].
  • William Herschel's father was Isaac Herschel[16].
  • William Herschel's mother was Anna Ilse Moritzen[17].
  • William Herschel was married to Mary Baldwin[18].
  • A child of William Herschel was John Frederick William Herschel[19].
  • William Herschel held citizenship in Kingdom of Hanover[20].
  • William Herschel held citizenship in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[21].
  • William Herschel held citizenship in Kingdom of Great Britain[22].
  • William Herschel worked as an astronomer[6].
  • William Herschel's professions included composer[7].
  • William Herschel worked as an oboist[8].
  • William Herschel's professions included musician[9].
  • William Herschel's professions included physicist[10].
  • William Herschel's field of work was astronomy[23].
  • William Herschel's field of work was optics[24].
  • William Herschel held the position of President of the Royal Astronomical Society[25].
  • Among William Herschel's employers was Hanoverian Foot Guards[26].
  • William Herschel was employed by Militia and Volunteers of County Durham[27].

Product Details

The following facts are restated verbatim from public-domain and CC0 open-data sources — every line is independently verifiable against the named source's catalog.

MusicBrainz — CC0 open music encyclopedia

  • Type: Person[28]

  • Country: DE[29]

  • Began / founded: 1738-11-15[30]

  • Ended / dissolved: 1822-08-25[31]

  • Community tags: composer[32]

  • MusicBrainz ID: 07c4274b-e217-4652-b50f-eb398c3fc9d4[33]

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Hanover[2], William Herschel… he was born on November 15, 1738[3]. His father was Isaac Herschel[16]. His mother was Anna Ilse Moritzen[17].

Education

William Herschel's doctoral advisor was Nevil Maskelyne[34].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include astronomer[6], composer[7], oboist[8], musician[9], and physicist[10]. Fields of work include astronomy[23], a branch of science[35] and optics[24], a branch of physics[36]. Employers include Hanoverian Foot Guards[26], a military unit[37]; Militia and Volunteers of County Durham[27], a military unit[38], founded in 1859[39]; Charles Avison[40], a composer[41], 1709–1770[42], of Kingdom of Great Britain[43]; Leeds[44], a city[45], in United Kingdom[46]; Octagon Chapel, Bath[47], a chapel[48], in United Kingdom[49]; and Bath Philharmonia[50], an orchestra[51]. William Herschel held the position of President of the Royal Astronomical Society[25].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Account of a Comet. By Mr. Herschel, F. R. S.; Communicated by Dr. Watson, Jun. of Bath, F. R. S[52], discovery of Uranus[53], and Herschel wedge[54].

Recognition

Awards received include Copley Medal[55], a medallion[56], in United Kingdom[57], founded in 1731[58]; Royal Guelphic Order[59], an order of chivalry[60], in Kingdom of Hanover[61], founded in 1815[62]; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[63], a fellowship award[64]; and Fellow of the Royal Society[65].

Personal Life

Among William Herschel's spouses was Mary Baldwin[18]. A child of him was John Frederick William Herschel[19]. His religion is recorded as Lutheranism[66].

Death and Burial

Recorded date of death include August 15, 1822[5], August 21, 1822[12], August 23, 1822[13], and August 25, 1822[14]. William Herschel died in Slough[4]. He is buried at Church of St Laurence, Upton-cum-Chalvey[15].

Why It Matters

William Herschel ranks in the top 0.66% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (2,883 views/month, #6,565 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[67] He is known by 30 alternative names across languages and contexts.[68]

He has been cited as an influence by John Frederick William Herschel[69], an astronomer[70], 1792–1871[71], of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[72], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[73], specialised in mathematics[74].

He is credited with the discovery of Uranus[75], an ice giant[76]; infrared radiation[77], a scientific theory[78]; Enceladus[79], a moon of Saturn[80]; IC 1101[81], a type-cD galaxy[82]; Mimas[83], a moon of Saturn[84]; and Sombrero Galaxy[85], an edge-on galaxy[86].

FAQs

Where was William Herschel born?

Born in Hanover[2], William Herschel…

Where did William Herschel die?

William Herschel died in Slough[4].

Who were William Herschel's parents?

William Herschel's father was Isaac Herschel[16]. William Herschel's mother was Anna Ilse Moritzen[17].

Who was William Herschel married to?

William Herschel's spouses include Mary Baldwin[18].

What did William Herschel do for work?

William Herschel worked as astronomer[6], composer[7], oboist[8], musician[9], and physicist[10].

What awards did William Herschel receive?

Honors received include Copley Medal[55], Royal Guelphic Order[59], Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[63], and Fellow of the Royal Society[65].

Who did William Herschel influence?

William Herschel has been cited as an influence by John Frederick William Herschel[69].

What did William Herschel discover?

William Herschel is credited as discoverer of Uranus[75], infrared radiation[77], Enceladus[79], and IC 1101[81].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Herschel, William (DNB00). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . www.accademiadellescienze.it. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [16] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  4. [17] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  5. [18] . A Short History of Astronomy. wikidata.org.
  6. [20] . wikidata.org.
  7. [21] . A Short History of Astronomy. wikidata.org.
  8. [22] . wikidata.org.
  9. [25] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  10. [19] . A Short History of Astronomy. wikidata.org.
  11. [23] . wikidata.org.
  12. [24] . wikidata.org.
  13. [6] . A Short History of Astronomy. wikidata.org.
  14. [7] . wikidata.org.
  15. [8] . A Short History of Astronomy. wikidata.org.
  16. [9] . A Short History of Astronomy. wikidata.org.
  17. [10] . wikidata.org.
  18. [26] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  19. [27] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  20. [40] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  21. [44] . wikidata.org.
  22. [47] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  23. [50] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  24. [15] . Find a Grave. wikidata.org.
  25. [66] . wikidata.org.
  26. [55] . A Short History of Astronomy. Retrieved . docs.google.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  27. [59] . wikidata.org.
  28. [63] . amacad.org. amacad.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  29. [65] . A Short History of Astronomy. wikidata.org.
  30. [34] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  31. [3] . Herschel, William (DNB00). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  32. [5] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  33. [12] . A Short History of Astronomy. wikidata.org.
  34. [13] . Q27774294. wikidata.org.
  35. [14] . Herschel, William (DNB00). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  36. [52] . library.si.edu. Retrieved . library.si.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  37. [53] . wikidata.org.
  38. [54] . wikidata.org.

Product details (FDA / USDA / NHTSA public-domain catalog data)

  1. [28] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  2. [29] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  3. [30] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  4. [31] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  5. [32] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  6. [33] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [69] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [75] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [77] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [79] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [81] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [83] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [85] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [70] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [71] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [72] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [73] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [74] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [76] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [78] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [80] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [82] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [84] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [86] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [67] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [68] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). William Herschel. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-herschel
MLA “William Herschel.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-herschel.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_william-herschel_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{William Herschel}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-herschel}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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