This picture of Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun (lying between Saturn and Neptune), was taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft on 25th January, 1986, on its way to Neptune. Uranus was spotted by William Herschel on 13th March, 1781 from his house in Bath using one of his powerful home-made telescopes, the first planet in our solar system to be discovered since classical times.
Introduction
William Herschel (1738-1822) came to Britain from Hanover hoping to avoid war with France. He became not only one of the country’s greatest astronomers, but also one of its most prolific composers, and his son John was, like William, knighted for services to astronomy.
WILLIAM Herschel, an oboist in the Military Band in his native Hanover, came to England in 1757, aged nineteen.*
In 1761, he became leader of the Durham Militia band, and first violin of Charles Avison’s orchestra in Newcastle, before taking a post in Halifax as an organist, where he regularly performed symphonies and concertos he had composed himself.
After moving to Bath, he was joined by his sister Caroline in 1772, and they began to take an interest in building telescopes.
It was using one of these that in March 1781 William discovered Uranus, the first new planetary discovery since classical times, for which he was appointed King’s Astronomer by George III. Unusually, the King also awarded Caroline a pension as William’s assistant.
After a move to Slough in 1785, William added to his historic discovery not only Saturn’s moons Mimas and Enceladus, and two moons of Uranus, Titania and Oberon, but also infrared radiation, with modern applications in astronomy, medicine, and the military.
When George, Prince-Elector of Hanover, became King George I of Great Britain in 1714, Hanover was united to the British crown in a ‘personal union’ which lasted until the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. Nonetheless, Hanover remained wholly independent of London in terms of its government throughout this time.
Related Video
Herschel performed his own oboe concertos, and
this movement from his Oboe Concerto No. 2 in C Major, probably written
around the time he went to live in County Durham in 1761, suggests he was
quite the virtuoso. The third movement is played here by Richard Woodhams, with the Mozart Orchestra directed by Davis Jerome.
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Précis
William Herschel came to England from Hanover in 1757 as a professional musician, and composed several symphonies and concertos. However, in 1770s he and his sister Caroline began to take an interest in telescopes and astronomy. In 1781, William discovered Uranus, and later infrared radiation. Brother and sister were subsequently employed by George III as astronomers, and William was knighted. (60 / 60 words)
William Herschel came to England from Hanover in 1757 as a professional musician, and composed several symphonies and concertos. However, in 1770s he and his sister Caroline began to take an interest in telescopes and astronomy. In 1781, William discovered Uranus, and later infrared radiation. Brother and sister were subsequently employed by George III as astronomers, and William was knighted.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, or, ought, since, unless, until, who.
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Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Medicine. Native. Orchestra.
2 Infrared. Leader. Post.
3 March. Pension. Time.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
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0
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