ASTRONOMER
William Herschel
1738 - 1822

William Herschel
Frederick William Herschel ( HUR-shəl; German: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈhɛʁʃl̩]; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel. Born in the Electorate of Hanover, William Herschel followed his father into the military band of Hanover, before immigrating to Britain in 1757 at the age of nineteen. Herschel constructed his first large telescope in 1774, after which he spent nine years carrying out sky surveys to investigate double stars. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. William Herschel is the 10th most popular astronomer (down from 8th in 2019), the 111th most popular biography from Germany (down from 85th in 2019) and the 3rd most popular German Astronomer.
William Herschel was a famous astronomer who discovered Uranus.
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Among ASTRONOMERS
Among astronomers, William Herschel ranks 10 out of 644. Before him are Giordano Bruno, Ptolemy, Edmond Halley, Tycho Brahe, Anders Celsius, and Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers. After him are Aristarchus of Samos, Hipparchus, Ulugh Beg, Ja'far al-Sadiq, Edwin Hubble, and Giovanni Domenico Cassini.
Most Popular Astronomers in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsGiordano Bruno
1548 - 1600
HPI: 88.57
Rank: 4
Ptolemy
100 - 170
HPI: 87.07
Rank: 5
Edmond Halley
1656 - 1742
HPI: 85.55
Rank: 6
Tycho Brahe
1546 - 1601
HPI: 83.46
Rank: 7
Anders Celsius
1701 - 1744
HPI: 83.19
Rank: 8
Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers
1758 - 1840
HPI: 80.29
Rank: 9
William Herschel
1738 - 1822
HPI: 80.07
Rank: 10
Aristarchus of Samos
311 BC - 230 BC
HPI: 79.89
Rank: 11
Hipparchus
190 BC - 120 BC
HPI: 79.75
Rank: 12
Ulugh Beg
1394 - 1449
HPI: 79.20
Rank: 13
Ja'far al-Sadiq
702 - 765
HPI: 79.09
Rank: 14
Edwin Hubble
1889 - 1953
HPI: 78.45
Rank: 15
Giovanni Domenico Cassini
1625 - 1712
HPI: 78.44
Rank: 16
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1738, William Herschel ranks 2. Before him is George III of the United Kingdom. After him are Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, Cesare Beccaria, Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, Túpac Amaru II, Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, Thomas Abbt, Ethan Allen, Arthur Phillip, and Adolphus Frederick IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Among people deceased in 1822, William Herschel ranks 1. After him are E. T. A. Hoffmann, Ali Pasha of Ioannina, Antonio Canova, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Claude Louis Berthollet, Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen, Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, René Just Haüy, Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre, Giovanni Battista Venturi, and Johann Matthäus Bechstein.
Others Born in 1738
Go to all RankingsGeorge III of the United Kingdom
POLITICIAN
1738 - 1820
HPI: 89.11
Rank: 1
William Herschel
ASTRONOMER
1738 - 1822
HPI: 80.07
Rank: 2
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
PHYSICIAN
1738 - 1814
HPI: 75.14
Rank: 3
Cesare Beccaria
PHILOSOPHER
1738 - 1794
HPI: 74.89
Rank: 4
Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria
POLITICIAN
1738 - 1789
HPI: 72.74
Rank: 5
Túpac Amaru II
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1738 - 1781
HPI: 72.53
Rank: 6
Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen
POLITICIAN
1738 - 1822
HPI: 71.00
Rank: 7
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1738 - 1805
HPI: 67.20
Rank: 8
Thomas Abbt
MATHEMATICIAN
1738 - 1766
HPI: 67.01
Rank: 9
Ethan Allen
BUSINESSPERSON
1738 - 1789
HPI: 66.09
Rank: 10
Arthur Phillip
POLITICIAN
1738 - 1814
HPI: 65.48
Rank: 11
Adolphus Frederick IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
POLITICIAN
1738 - 1794
HPI: 65.12
Rank: 12
Others Deceased in 1822
Go to all RankingsWilliam Herschel
ASTRONOMER
1738 - 1822
HPI: 80.07
Rank: 1
E. T. A. Hoffmann
WRITER
1776 - 1822
HPI: 79.88
Rank: 2
Ali Pasha of Ioannina
POLITICIAN
1750 - 1822
HPI: 78.32
Rank: 3
Antonio Canova
SCULPTOR
1757 - 1822
HPI: 76.37
Rank: 4
Percy Bysshe Shelley
WRITER
1792 - 1822
HPI: 74.38
Rank: 5
Claude Louis Berthollet
CHEMIST
1748 - 1822
HPI: 73.03
Rank: 6
Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen
POLITICIAN
1738 - 1822
HPI: 71.00
Rank: 7
Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu
POLITICIAN
1766 - 1822
HPI: 69.32
Rank: 8
René Just Haüy
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1743 - 1822
HPI: 68.96
Rank: 9
Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre
MATHEMATICIAN
1749 - 1822
HPI: 68.56
Rank: 10
Giovanni Battista Venturi
PHYSICIST
1746 - 1822
HPI: 66.46
Rank: 11
Johann Matthäus Bechstein
BIOLOGIST
1757 - 1822
HPI: 66.39
Rank: 12
In Germany
Among people born in Germany, William Herschel ranks 111 out of 7,253. Before him are Pope Joan (null), Gerhard Schröder (1944), Michael Schumacher (1969), Pope Damasus II (1000), Friedrich Paulus (1890), and Rudolf I of Germany (1218). After him are Joachim von Ribbentrop (1893), Gottlieb Daimler (1834), William the Silent (1533), Ernst Haeckel (1834), Nikolaus Otto (1832), and Albert Speer (1905).
Others born in Germany
Go to all RankingsPope Joan
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
HPI: 80.19
Rank: 105
Gerhard Schröder
POLITICIAN
1944 - Present
HPI: 80.17
Rank: 106
Michael Schumacher
RACING DRIVER
1969 - Present
HPI: 80.17
Rank: 107
Pope Damasus II
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1000 - 1048
HPI: 80.13
Rank: 108
Friedrich Paulus
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1890 - 1957
HPI: 80.08
Rank: 109
Rudolf I of Germany
POLITICIAN
1218 - 1291
HPI: 80.07
Rank: 110
William Herschel
ASTRONOMER
1738 - 1822
HPI: 80.07
Rank: 111
Joachim von Ribbentrop
POLITICIAN
1893 - 1946
HPI: 80.04
Rank: 112
Gottlieb Daimler
ENGINEER
1834 - 1900
HPI: 79.99
Rank: 113
William the Silent
POLITICIAN
1533 - 1584
HPI: 79.96
Rank: 114
Ernst Haeckel
BIOLOGIST
1834 - 1919
HPI: 79.95
Rank: 115
Nikolaus Otto
INVENTOR
1832 - 1891
HPI: 79.93
Rank: 116
Albert Speer
ARCHITECT
1905 - 1981
HPI: 79.89
Rank: 117
Among ASTRONOMERS In Germany
Among astronomers born in Germany, William Herschel ranks 3. Before him are Johannes Kepler (1571), and Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers (1758). After him are Caroline Herschel (1750), Heinrich Louis d'Arrest (1822), Johann Gottfried Galle (1812), Johann Bayer (1572), Wilhelm Schickard (1592), Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve (1793), Walter Baade (1893), Johann Franz Encke (1791), and Max Wolf (1863).
Johannes Kepler
1571 - 1630
HPI: 89.24
Rank: 1
Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers
1758 - 1840
HPI: 80.29
Rank: 2
William Herschel
1738 - 1822
HPI: 80.07
Rank: 3
Caroline Herschel
1750 - 1848
HPI: 75.21
Rank: 4
Heinrich Louis d'Arrest
1822 - 1875
HPI: 74.38
Rank: 5
Johann Gottfried Galle
1812 - 1910
HPI: 73.80
Rank: 6
Johann Bayer
1572 - 1625
HPI: 72.59
Rank: 7
Wilhelm Schickard
1592 - 1635
HPI: 72.18
Rank: 8
Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve
1793 - 1864
HPI: 72.16
Rank: 9
Walter Baade
1893 - 1960
HPI: 71.15
Rank: 10
Johann Franz Encke
1791 - 1865
HPI: 70.85
Rank: 11
Max Wolf
1863 - 1932
HPI: 70.70
Rank: 12