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SIGNIFICANT TRIBUTE TO THE WORLD'S FIRST PROFESSIONAL FEMALE ASTRONOMER. Standing at just 4 feet 3 inches tall, under a 40-foot telescope, Caroline Herschel's small size belies her immense scientific accomplishments. Though she disliked any praise that diminished her older brother William's achievements, she was a giant in the field of astronomy in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Her accomplishments enabled generations of women to develop their careers in the sciences, a field once exclusively reserved for men. The incredible life of Caroline Herschel was memorialized in this obituary which we have on offer, published in this pristine copy of Astronomische Nachrichten. Astronomische Nachrichten, also known as Astronomical Notes, is the oldest continuously published astronomy journal. Founded in 1821 by German astronomer H.C. Schumacher under the patronage of King Christian VIII of Denmark, it quickly became the world's leading professional astronomy publication. Astronomische Nachrichten has published more than 300 volumes documenting and celebrating the progress of astronomy research over the last 200 years. Stunted by typhus as a child, Caroline was not considered a suitable candidate for marriage. Through the age of 22, she lived in the home where she was born, acting as a servant to her own family. In 1772, an invitation from her brother William to join him in Bath, England, changed the course of her life and the course of astronomy. Like her brother, she was captivated by the night sky. In 1774 as William was building his own telescope to observe the stars, he recognized Caroline's aptitude for mathematical calculations. Together they surveyed the skies, William entrusting Caroline with planning each night's observation schedule. After William discovered Uranus in 1782 and was appointed to be the personal astronomer to King George III, Caroline began to gain more recognition as an astronomer in her own right. Today, scientists acknowledge that her contributions were vital to William's success. As written in this obituary, written by her nephew, John Herschel: "There, from the first commencement of his astronomical pursuits, her attendance on both his daily labours and nightly watches was put in requisition; and was found so useful, that.she performed the whole of the arduous and important duties of his astronomical assistant, not only reading the clocks and noting down all the observations from dictation.but subsequently executing the whole of the extensive and laborious numerical calculations necessary to render them available to science.For the performance of these duties his Majesty King George the Third was graciously pleased to place her in the receipt of a salary sufficient for her singularly moderate wants and retired habits." Caroline received an annual salary of fifty pounds from King George III, making her the first woman in science to receive compensation for her academic work and research (Lubbock, 172). In addition to assisting William, Caroline continued to perform and document the extensive calculations that accompanied their research. They were a remarkable team that swept the visible sky with their telescopes, discovering 2400 nebulae (Hoskin). Caroline also made her own observations at the telescope, finding her first celestial object in 1783. Her most significant contributions to astronomy were the discoveries of eight comets, including the periodic comet 35P/Herschel-Rigollet, named after her. The first woman to discover a comet, she held the record for most comets discovered by a woman until the 1980s (Olson and Pasachoff, 80). She also observed many nebulae and star clusters, cataloging and identifying numerous astronomical objects. Caroline presented new findings to the Royal Astronomical Society, including revisions to John Flamsteed's British Catalogue, the most influential star catalog of that time. In the span of twenty months, Caroline identified and submitted a list of many mistakes in. Seller Inventory # 2870
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