I was inspired by the story of William Herschel in the Wonderful Age. He was an accomplished musician living in 18th century England. He was originally an immigrant from Hannover and was not known for his pennilessness. However, over time, he established himself as a respected musician and even secured an important position in the field.
But, do you know he is remembered now? Surprisingly, not because of his music. Instead, he was known as an astronomer and discovered Uranus, the first planet ever identified by a telescope. Yes, He went from being a musician of all things to becoming a pioneer in astronomy. Talk about having a broad curiosity!
It all starts with a hobby. After his musical works (teaching and performing), he will spend the whole night in astronomy books. His sister even said, “He slept under his favorite author,” referring to the books. It’s not just casual reading; he deliberately strives to absorb knowledge in the field. He studied important astronomy booksincluding astronomical tables, and even techniques for attending lectures on the topic.
Over time, reading only the planets and stars was not enough for him. He wanted to observe them in person. However, the commonly used refraction telescopes at that time were not powerful enough. Isaac Newton built a more advanced option, the reflective telescope, but it is small and magnified only 40 times.
Herschel turns her eyes to building larger reflective telescopes. But there is one major obstacle: it requires a special mirror that is not available anywhere. He contacted the London optical manufacturer and was told that such mirrors were not produced at all.
Then what did he do? He decided to do it himself! This is not only any ordinary mirror, but must be precisely concave into astronomical observations. He collected the necessary tools, but there was a particularly difficult part of the process: hand polished mirrors.
This job is very tiring. He had to stand for hours, sometimes even eight, even as long as 16 – and kept throwing away. Once he started, he couldn’t rest, so his sister had to feed him by hand while working. Talk about dedication!
It was a high price, but he paid. Always make a living by being a musician. Eventually, he successfully built the most powerful telescope of the time.
Using that telescope, he made a breakthrough observation– Including the discovery of Uranus in 1781, it expanded the known boundaries of our solar system for the first time in modern history. And because of his extensive reading, he not only passively observed—he understood current theories and might question them, and contributed original ideas to the field.
Here are some lessons I learned from Herschel’s story:
- Have a growth mindset – Just because you train in one area doesn’t mean you can’t do well in another. With a growth mindset, you can develop your expertise in unexpected areas.
- Self-education is the key – Herschel is not only involved in astronomy; he educates himself. He read relentlessly and even fell asleep on hand, which gave him meaningful contributions to technical knowledge.
- Big dream – His reading not only gave him knowledge; it inspired him to see the stars firsthand.
- Dedication is important – Knowledge alone is not enough. It takes a price to make a real impact, and sometimes a steep price. Herschel’s passion for astronomy drove him to endure great hardships, including standing in the mirror for hours.
His story is truly inspiring. It reminds me We all have great potential – but it takes energy to unlock it, and motivation plays a key role in making it come true.
