Herschel

American  

[hur-shuhl] / ˈhɜr ʃəl /

noun

1. Sir John Frederick William, 1792–1871, English astronomer.

2. his father Sir William Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel, 1738–1822, English astronomer, born in Germany.

3. Also Hershel. a male given name.

---

Herschel British  

/ ˈhɜːʃəl /

noun

1. Caroline Lucretia. 1750–1848, British astronomer, born in Germany, noted for her catalogue of nebulae and star clusters: sister of Sir William Herschel

2. Sir John Frederick William. 1792–1871, British astronomer. He discovered and catalogued over 525 nebulae and star clusters

3. his father, Sir ( Frederick ) William, original name Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel. 1738–1822, British astronomer, born in Germany. He constructed a reflecting telescope, which led to his discovery of the planet Uranus (1781), two of its satellites, and two of the satellites of Saturn. He also discovered the motions of binary stars

---

Herschel Scientific  

/ hûr′shəl /

1. Family of British astronomers led by Sir William Herschel (1738–1822), who discovered Uranus (1781) and cataloged more than 800 binary stars and 2,500 nebulae. His sister Caroline Herschel (1750–1848) discovered eight comets and several nebulae and star clusters, and published at least two astronomical catalogs which are still currently used. His son Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1792–1871) discovered 525 nebulae and pioneered celestial photography.

---

Example Sentences

The author documents Tennyson’s reaction to books by the geologist Charles Lyell, the computer pioneer Charles Babbage and the astronomer John Herschel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Toward the end of the 18th century, astronomer William Herschel used star counts to map out the Milky Way.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2025

Controversial gaming streamer Herschel 'Guy' Beahm, known online as Dr Disrespect, has said he is able to start making money from YouTube again after being dropped in 2024.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2025

Discovered in 1789 by English astronomer William Herschel, Mimas is named after a giant in Greek mythology.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2024

He was the son of well-known astronomer William Herschel, who earlier had proposed that Mars could support intelligent life.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow