The Herschel Siblings and their Influence on Astronomy

David Singapogu

Classical Conversations, Challenge B

Astronomy

21 October 2021

The Herschel Siblings and their Influence on Astronomy

    WIlliam and Caroline Herschel were a brother-sister pair who discovered many objects in space, including comets, nebulae, galaxies and the planet Uranus. Their influence on astronomy lives on to this day as research and space exploration continues through what they discovered.

    WIlliam Frederick Herschel was born on November 15, 1738, and Caroline Lucretia Herchel was born March 16, 1750. Following in his fathers footsteps, William was a musician, playing in the band of the Hanoverian Guards. Even after the French occupation, he composed and taught music in England! Caroline was not so fortunate as a child, however. At the age of ten she was diagnosed with typhus, a disease that stunted her growth. As a result, her growth topped out at four feet three inches. Her mother also opposed the idea of her going to school,so instead she helped out in the household. However as she grew up, she did develop her skills in singing. Although their early life was nothing extravagant, it prepared them nevertheless, for what was to come.

     When William started getting interested in astronomy, he would look at the moon, sun and stars. However he quickly became discontented with this and wanted to look at more distant bodies such as nebulae and other galaxies. The only problem here was that there were no telescopes that powerful in his day, and although it was possible to fashion one with the current technology, other manufacturers of telescopes were not willing to collaborate with him to create one for a reasonable price. But William would not be stopped, he ground his own mirrors. At first it was hard, and after many failed attempts even he accepted defeat, but after a while he grew discontented and took another stab at it and was able to create a telescope that was better than the telescopes used at the Greenwich Observatory. But on the other side of the story Caroline was just as hard at work. In 1783 she discovered three new nebulae on her own, and in 1786 she became the first woman to discover a comet! But she did not stop there, and eleven years later she spotted seven more comets, making her the first professional female astronomer. In the meantime William was pondering space with his newly contrived telescope, the best in the world! He had been closely tracking a certain star's progress over a couple days and suddenly it struck him that its movement was not that of the other neighboring stars. And wait… is it a star? After watching it for several more days he realized it was a new planet--it was Uranus, well sort of… Originally, William wanted to call it ”Gorgium Sidus” or “George’s Star.” However, after realizing that wasn't practical, he decided on the name Uranus. After discovering Uranus, William, not surprisingly, received a lot of attention. Unfortunately, William died at the age of 83 on August 25, 1822. However, soon after his death, Caroline finished a catalog which she named The New General Catalogue which contained observations including over two thousand five hundred nebulae, and many star clusters! Their discoveries were ground-breaking, and to this day are acknowledged by astronomers around the world.

    The Herschels’ legacy is still in motion to this day. William’s telescopes have been replicated and have been found to be some of the best. And many astronomers after them built off of their work. On May 14, 2009 NASA launched the Herschel Space Observatory to continue their legacy.

    William and Caroline Heschel were intrepid astronomers who set out to conquer the farthest unsearched corners of the universe. To this day their legacy lives on in their work, their influence on the science, and the Herschel Space Observatory!

Works Cited

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Caroline Herschel". Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed 17 October 2021.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "William Herschel". Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed 17 October 2021.

Herschel, Caroline Lucretia.” Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Jan. 2018, p. 1

“Herschel, Sir William.” Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Jan. 2018, p. 1

“"William Herschel." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 29 Jan. 2021.

 

 

Where the Red Fern Grows

David Singapogu

Challenge B

LTW Essay 5

October 27, 2021

 

Have you ever been torn between two sides? In the book Where the Red Fern Grows, Billy had to make one such decision. Everyone agrees that Billy loves his dogs, However some people believe that he should have called off the hunt while others believe that he should not have called off the fight and  continue on to find the dogs.

 

Billy should have called off the hunt after they saw the storm coming for three reasons: Billy should make a safe decision, should consider family and should display responsibility. 

 

The first reason Billy should have called off the hunt is that he should make a safe decision. . Even though Billy put all of his hard earned time and money into the hunt, human beings with souls, especially his family members, are far more important than the dogs. Leaving would be a safe choice for everybody, they would not have to worry about communicating or staying together, and the people back at the camp would not have to be worried about their safety.

 

The second reason Billy should have called off the hunt after they saw the storm coming is that he should consider the feelings of his family. It was dangerous for him and his relatives would be depressed if anyone died. His Mom had already been hesitant and would probably die if she found out he had not survived. Billy was only a small boy and had not lived his life to the fullest yet. If he died, he would not be able to bring the promised trophy back to his adorable little sister at home.

 

The third and final reason Billy should have called off the hunt after they saw the storm coming is that he should display responsibility. As the leader, he should recognize that it would be foolish for them to stay. The frightening, growing and threatening storm clouds quite clearly portrayed the impending doom coming near  pand Billy should have displayed wisdom by calling off the hunt. It was time for Billy to move forward and take the risk or to stay back and play it safe. Another supporting reason is that Billy did not know when the storm might go away, it could stay the whole night! And all three of the wiser people with him said that he should call off the hunt and it would be very naive of him to disobey.

 

Billy should have called off the hunt after they saw the storm coming because Billy should make a safe decision, should consider family and should display responsibility. This matters to people who are torn between two difficult choices because wisdom in those times is crucial.

 

A Captivating Story, and a Fascinating Man

David Singapogu

Classical Conversations Challenge B

13 October 2021

A Captivating Story, and a Fascinating Man

    Benjamin Banneker was an influential person whose informal “Just for fun!” observations changed the way we think about solar eclipses. Unlike many African-American of his time, he was born free. His parents were freed before he was born, giving him the opportunities which he took advantage of to study the solar eclipses. He studied the different parts of the eclipses, the inner corona, the chromosphere, the Baily’s Beads and prominences. He learned about how the sun is 400 times bigger than the moon, yet they seem the same size, due to the fact that the moon is 400 times closer to the sun which causes the solar eclipse. He studied the diamond ring effect, which is created by the solar flares of the sun as the moon comes in front of it, creating brilliances that look like diamonds. Other than that, not much is known about Banneker’s life. He died in his sleep unexpectedly at a young age. Strangely, at his funeral, which was in his front yard, right as it was finishing up, his house was burned down. The cause of this has not been discovered to this day. Because of his influences in the study of solar eclipses and the vagueness of his life,  Benjamin Banneker’s captivating story makes him a fascinating man!

Works Cited

“Newton, Sir Isaac.” Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Jan. 2018, p. 1.

“Benjamin Banneker.” Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 28 Dec. 2020.