Uranus Discovery

The discovery of Uranus, or "George's Star" as it was originally called, was a revolutionary event in the field of astronomy. But to understand the significance of this discover, we must understand the conditions that exsisted just before and during this landmark milestone. Up to this point, several planets, those that are visible to the naked eye, and with out the aids that modern technology allow us, had been identified "before recorded history", as an article about the discovery in "Science and It's Times" explains (Schlager 1). Hershel, as a budding astronomer, had a desire to explore more that what the naked eye, or his weak telescopes, could offer him, so he began experimenting to craft new, more powerful instruments. These more powerful
This discovery of a new planet was very significant to the existing astronomy community, and those who came after for years to come. This was the first planet discovered in recorded history. And, according to the article, "most importantly, the discovery of Uranus opened up a new phase in the discovery of the planets of our solar system". (Schlager 1) It was a very important find for the English country, because it came at a crucial time in their history, soon after they lost the Revolutionary war and the Thirteen original colonies. On a personal level, this brought much fame to William Herschel. This discovery, and the fame that came with it allowed him to continue with his research of preference, which was untraditional compared to his peers. And, just as any other scientific discovery, Hershel's contemporaries played a significant role in his discovery. One thing that I found interesting about Hershel's story is that he wasn't convinced of his finding, and his peers weren't either, until they had managed to replicate his findings in several places, including with in England, and in France, by other