Hershcel's Observation Report

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The area I chose to research was Astronomy: Discovery of Uranus by William Hershcel in 1781. I decided on this topic because stars and constellations fascinate me. Sir William Hershcel gave up his profession as a musician to become a full time astronomer. He spent his time mapping the stars of the Milky Way. During his observations, he noticed a strange object in the constellation Gemini. It was clear to him that it was not a star. At first he thought it was a comet. After this object’s orbit was calculated, it was proven to be a planet. This discovery proved that the solar system was a lot more extensive than mankind’s previous perspective. Astronomers were also surprised to find out that they had seen this planet many times, but had not recognized

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