Caroline Herschel

Caroline Herschel (1750-1848), German-born British astronomer, who was the first important woman astronomer. Like her brother, Sir William Herschel, Caroline Lucretia Herschel was trained as a musician but became interested in astronomy after immigrating to England. She made many contributions and discovered eight comets and three nebulas. She received (1828) the gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for completing, arranging, and editing the star catalogs of her brother and of the British astronomer John Flamsteed.