William Lassell

William Lassell, English astronomer and merchant (died 1880)

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Born: June 18, 1799
Died: October 5, 1880
Zodiac sign: Gemini
Birth year: 1799

About William Lassell

William Lassell (18 June 1799 – 5 October 1880) was an English merchant and astronomer. He is remembered for his improvements to the reflecting telescope and his ensuing discoveries of four planetary satellites. == Life == William Lassell was born in Bolton, Lancashire, on 18 June 1799. He received his early education in Bolton and later attended Rochdale Academy. After the death of his father, William Lassell was apprenticed to a merchant in Liverpool from 1814 to 1821. He later made his fortune as a beer brewer, which afforded him the means to pursue his passion for astronomy. He built an observatory at his house "Starfield" in West Derby, a suburb of Liverpool. There he had a 24-inch (610 mm) aperture metal mirror reflector telescope (a.k.a. the "two-foot" telescope), for which he pioneered the use of an equatorial mount for easy tracking of objects as the Earth rotates. He ground and polished the mirror himself, using equipment he constructed.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

In 1846, Lassell discovered Triton, the largest moon of Neptune, just 17 days after the discovery of Neptune itself by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle, using his self-built instrument.
Lassell was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS) from 1839, won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1849, and served as its president for two years starting in 1870.
There he had a 24-inch (610 mm) aperture metal mirror reflector telescope (aka the "two-foot" telescope), for which he pioneered the use of an equatorial mount for easy tracking of objects as the Earth rotates.
In 1848, he independently co-discovered Hyperion, a moon of Saturn.

William Lassell timeline

1839Lassell was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS) from 1839, won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1849, and served as its president for two years starting in 1870.
1846In 1846, Lassell discovered Triton, the largest moon of Neptune, just 17 days after the discovery of Neptune itself by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle, using his self-built instrument.
1848In 1848, he independently co-discovered Hyperion, a moon of Saturn.

The world when William Lassell was born

William Lassell was born in 1799. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Headlines and milestones

Top headlineGeorge Washington dies at Mount Vernon
Technology milestoneRosetta Stone discovered in Egypt
World population~843M

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderJohn Adams
U.S. population5.2M

1799 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in William Lassell's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1799	2026
Population	5.2M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

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