Herschel, Caroline (Lucretia) (1750-1848)

German-born English astronomer, sister of William Herschel, and from 1772 his assistant in Bath, England. She discovered eight comets and worked on her brother's catalogue of star clusters and nebulae.

Herschel was born in Hannover, and received no formal education. She discovered eight comets between 1786 and 1797, five undoubtedly unobserved before, and many of the smaller nebulae and star clusters included in her brother's catalogue were her discoveries. In 1787, she was granted an annual salary by George III. On her brother's death in 1822, she returned to Hannover but continued to work on his catalogue. In 1828 the Royal Astronomical Society gave her their gold medal, and they made her an honorary member in 1835.