The Little Ghost Nebula



This beauty was discovered by Sir William Herschel (1738-1822) who, in describing his career, said of himself that 'I have looked further into space than any human being did before me.' Herschel has been described by a contemporary expert as 'the first man to give a reasonably correct picture of the shape of our star-system or galaxy; he was the best telescope-maker of his time, and possibly the greatest observer who ever lived.' His sister and collaborator Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) was the first woman scientist and astronomer to be elected to the Royal Society.