About Frederick William Herschel - PTE Writing Sample Answer
Read the passage below and summarise it using one sentence. Type your response in the box at the bottom of the screen. Your response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the key points in the passage. You have 10 minutes to submit your response. Frederick William Herschel was a British astronomer and composer who was born in Germany. Caroline Lucretia Herschel (1750–1848), his younger sister and fellow astronomer, worked with him frequently. William Herschel was born in the Electorate of Hanover and joined his father's military band before emigrating to Great Britain in 1757 at the age of nineteen. In 1774, Herschel built his first huge telescope, following which he spent nine years doing sky surveys to look for double stars. In 1802 (2,500 objects) and 1820 (5,000 objects), Herschel published catalogues of nebulae (5,000 objects). The Herschel telescopes' resolving power revealed that many of the Messier catalogue's nebulae were actually groupings of stars. He discovered a new object in the constellation of Gemini on March 13, 1781, while doing observations. This would be confirmed as a new planet after several weeks of verification and consultation with other astronomers, and given the name Uranus. Herschel became famous overnight after discovering the first planet since antiquity. George III named him Court Astronomer as a result of his finding. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, and funds were set aside to build new telescopes in his honour. Herschel was the first to employ astronomical spectrophotometry, measuring the wavelength distribution of star spectra with prisms and temperature monitoring apparatus. Herschel discovered infrared radiation during these observations. Other projects included a better understanding of Mars' rotation time, the revelation that the Martian polar caps vary seasonally, and the finding of Uranus' moons Titania and Oberon, as well as Enceladus and Mimas (moons of Saturn). In 1816, Herschel was appointed a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order. When the Royal Astronomical Society was created in 1820, he was the first President. His work was continued by his only son, John Herschel, when he died in August 1822.
Sample Answer
Frederick William Herschel was a British astronomer who discovered a new object in the constellation of Gemini which was a planet later named Uranus following which he became a Fellow of the Royal Society and later appointed as the Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order.
