Frederick William Herschel, known simply as William Herschel, was a German-born UK astronomer. On 13 March 1781, while making observations, he made note of a new object in the constellation of Gemini. This would, after several weeks of verification and consultation with other astronomers, be confirmed to be a new planet.
This was the first planet to be discovered since antiquity and Herschel became famous overnight.
Herschel, who was later knighted for his historic discovery, named the planet Georgium Sidus, or the “Georgian Planet,” in honour of King George III of England, who was the ruler at the time.
However, German astronomer Johann Bode proposed the name “Uranus” for the celestial body in order to conform to the classical mythology-derived names of other known planets.
Uranus was the ancient Greek deity of the heavens and was a predecessor of the Olympian gods.
By the mid-19th century, it was also the generally accepted name of the seventh planet from the sun.
As a result of this discovery, George III appointed Herschel Court Astronomer of the UK.
He was also elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society and grants were provided for the construction of new telescopes.
Astronomers now know Uranus has a similar composition to Neptune, differing from the larger gas giants of Jupiter and Saturn.
It is the coldest planetary atmosphere in the Solar System, with a minimum temperature of −224C (371F), and has a complex, layered cloud structure.
Astronomers believe the interior of Uranus is mainly composed of ice and rock.
Science has made big steps since the discovery more than 200 years ago, though.
Space agencies like NASA are now looking at ways to colonise the solar system by cleverly using asteroids.
The same space rocks have even provided an insight into the history of the universe.
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