Biography caroline herschel

German-British astronomer (–)

"C. Herschel" redirects here. For the lunar crater, see C. Herschel (crater).

Caroline Lucretia Herschel^[1] (HUR-shəl, HAIR-shəl,^[2]German:[kaʁoˈliːnəˈhɛʁʃl̩]; 16 March – 9 January ) was a German astronomer,^[3] whose most significant contributions to astronomy were the discoveries of several comets, including the periodic comet 35P/Herschel–Rigollet, which bears her name.^[4] She was the younger sister of astronomer William Herschel, with whom she worked throughout her career.

She was the first woman to receive a salary as a scientist and the first woman in England to hold a government position.^[5][6] She was also the first woman to publish scientific findings in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society,^[7] to be awarded a Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (), and to be named an honorary Member of the Royal Astronomical Socie