William Herschel Quotes

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According to my theory, a dark spot in the sun is a place in its atmosphere which happens to be free from luminous decompositions [above it].

William Herschel
In this case, radiant heat will at least partly, if not chiefly, consist, if I may be permitted the expression, of invisible light; that is to say, of rays coming from the sun, that have such a momentum as to be unfit for vision. And admitting, as is highly probable, that the organs of sight are only adapted to receive impressions from particles of a certain momentum, it explains why the maximum of illumination should be in the middle of the refrangible rays; as those which have greater or less momenta are likely to become equally unfit for the impression of sight.

William Herschel
In future... we shall look upon those regions into which we may now penetrate by means of such large telescopes, as a naturalist regards a rich extent of ground or chain of mountains containing strata variously inclined and directed, as well as consisting of very different materials. The surface of a globe or map therefore will but ill delineate the interior parts of the heavens.

William Herschel
That stars are suns can hardly admit of a doubt. The sun turns on its axis; so do variable stars; most probably all stars. Stars have spots like the sun; in some stars we know these spots to be changeable.

William Herschel
The phenomena of nature, especially those that fall under the inspection of the astronomer, are to be viewed, not only with the usual attention to facts as they occur, but with the eye of reason and experience.

William Herschel
Aberration would forever have remained a secret to us if it had not been found out by other methods than that of time-keepers.

William Herschel