Since the dawn of history, there have been men whose imagination has reached toward the stars. Among the many men who have been fascinated by the heavens, no name shines more brightly than that of William Herschel, astronomer, discoverer of the planet Uranus and pioneer mapper of the galaxy.

Young William Herschel was intrigued by both music and the stars. To escape conscription in the army he fled to England, where he earned his living with his musical talents. His successful  artistic career left little time for astronomy, but as he looked up at the heavens and puzzled over the many unanswered questions of his day, it became increasingly difficult for him to ignore his second calling. In fact, it became impossible for him to do so, and his busy days grew ever more hectic as he sandwiched telescope-building and stargazing into his already crowded schedule.

When Hershel's development of a superior telescope and his first revolutionary observations became known, the Royal Society of London gave him its support. And when King George III became fascinated, Herschel was able to turn his dreams into reality. A pension from the King positioned him to build the most powerful telescope the world had ever seen. With the aid of his remarkable sister, who became an astronomer and her own right, Sir William Herschel blazed new trails for man's understanding of the Universe. In his dramatic journey from a humble home in Hanover to the royal court of England, William Herschel proved that genius knows no national boundaries and that creativity is as much a part of science as of art.

From the dust jacket