6 A CENTURY'S PROGRESS IN ASTRONOMY. 



These characteristics the lightness with which 

 he held his theories, his vivid imagination, and 

 his philosophical reasoning are the secrets of 

 Herschel's success as an astronomer. Nearly 

 all his ideas and speculations have been con- 

 firmed. As Arago has said, " We cannot but 

 feel a deep reverence for that powerful genius 

 that has scarcely ever erred." Herschel, like 

 all other great students of Nature, was deeply 

 religious. He could not observe the heavens 

 without feeling awed at the marvels which his 

 telescopes revealed. In his own words, "It is 

 surely a very laudable thing to receive instruc- 

 tion from the Great Workmaster of Nature." 



Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel, born in Hanover 

 on November 15, 1738, was the fourth child of 

 Isaac Herschel, an oboist in the band of the 

 Hanoverian Guard. Isaac Herschel, a native 

 of Dresden, was an accomplished musician, and 

 all his children, ten in number, inherited his 

 talent. Of these ten, six survived, and only 

 two became famous. These were William, the 

 great astronomer, and his sister Caroline (born 

 on March 16, 1750), who became a student of 

 the heavens only second to her brother. 



At the garrison school in Hanover, where 

 the Herschels were educated, William Herschel 

 showed intense love and aptitude for learning, 



