William Lassell, born in 1799 in Lancashire, England, was an amateur astronomer that is attributed with the discovery of Ariel and Umbriel of Neptune, Triton of Neptune, and Hyperion of Saturn. Before Lassell got into the field of Astronomy, he began a brewery business in 1825 after starting an apprenticeship in 1818. In 1844, Lassell found his love with Astronomy and began building his own 24-inch reflecting telescope. On October 10, 1846, Lassell made the discovery of Neptune's moon, Triton, which was his first discovery. This discovery was made only 17 days after the planet itself was discovered. Two years later, he discovered Saturn's moon Hyperion. On that same day, the Bond brothers also discovered Hyperion, they never had any contact with each other. In 1851 and 1852, Lassell discovered Umbriel and Ariel, he also constructed a larger reflector telescope, which was 48 inches. He used this large telescope to make observations of nearby nebulae. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1849 and was president of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1870 to 1872. He later died on October 5, 1880 in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Although William Lassell is not the most known astronomer out there, he has made several significant discoveries and is also known for his creativity and innovation in his constrction of his telescopes.
Chapman, Allan. "William Lassell (1799-1880) and the Discovery of Triton, 1846." William Lassell (1799-1880) and the Discovery of Triton, 1846. Liverpool Astronomical Society., 4 Oct. 2005. Web. 10 Jan. 2014. http://www.mikeoates.org/lassell/lassell_by_a_chapman.htm.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "William Lassell (British Astronomer)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/331026/William-Lassell>.
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