John Herschel facts for kids

**Sir John Herschel**
Sir John Herschel
	Drawing of John Herschel, published in 1846
Born	7 March 1792; Slough, Buckinghamshire, England
Died	11 May 1871 (aged 79); Collingwood, near Hawkhurst, Kent, England;
Residence	Slough; Cape Town
Nationality	British
Alma mater	St John's College, Cambridge
Known for	The invention of photography
Influences	William Herschel (father)
Notable awards	Smith's Prize (1813); Copley Medal (1821); Lalande Medal (1825); Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1826), (1836); Royal Medal (1836, 1840); Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order

Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet(7 March 1792 – 11 May 1871) was an English polymath, mathematician, astronomer, chemist, inventor, experimental photographer who invented the blueprint, and did botanical work.

Herschel originated the use of the Julian day system in astronomy. He named seven moons of Saturn and four moons of Uranus. He made many contributions to the science of photography, and investigated colour blindness and the chemical power of ultraviolet rays; his Preliminary Discourse (1831), which advocated an inductive approach to scientific experiment and theory building, was an important contribution to the philosophy of science.

He married Margaret Brodie Stewart (1810–1884) on 3 March 1829 at Edinburgh and fatherd 12 children.

Herschel died on 11 May 1871 at age 79 at Collingwood, his home near Hawkhurst in Kent. On his death, he was given a national funeral and buried in Westminster Abbey. His obituary by Henry W Field of London was read to the American Philosophical Society on 1 December 1871.

Images for kids

Calotype (of model) of lunar crater Copernicus, 1842
Disa cornuta (L.) Sw. by Margaret & John Herschel
Portrait of Sir John Herschel by his daughter Margaret Louisa Herschel
Tombs of John Herschel and Charles Darwin. Westminster Abbey
Description of a machine for resolving by inspection certain important forms, 1832
Margaret Brodie Stewart by Alfred Edward Chalon 1829
John Frederick William Herschel by Alfred Edward Chalon 1829