This sign is the signature abstract for the Slough Observatory shopping centre. Surprising thing and object for a shopping centre... Well, therin lies a story. Slough actually has an illustrious history and a lot of past and present famous people associated with it.
One of the better known historical figures was astronomer William Herschel. He was a German born musician who became interested in astronomy and mathematics. He emigrated to Britain at 19 years old. After meeting the Astronomer Royal his interest deepened. Herschel built a reflecting telescope himself, spending up to 16 hours a day polishing the metal mirrors.
His work on the planets really began in ernest in 1773. He is attributed with the discovery of Uranus and two of its moon, the moons of Saturn, infrared radiation, the first double-star systems, and a number of other moons and platetoids. He also carried out a number of published deep-sky surveys in which he catalogued nearly nine thousand star clusters and nebulae and other deep-sky objects. in fact he coined the term 'asteroid'. He also devised the New General Catalogue (abbreviated NGC) - a numbering system still in use for catalogue work in the deep sky. He helped found the Royal Astronomical Society. And, while doing all that, managed to personally construct over 400 telescopes (and at least one microscope with which he discovered that coral is an animal not a plant). His reputation as a telescope maker was unsurpassed and he sold many of them to other famous astronomers at a profit. Oh, and he also found time compose 24 symphonies - for which he is less well known than his astromonical work.
Herschel moved to Slough from Windsor in 1786. He constructed his most famous telescope, the 40 foot reflecting telescope between 1786 and 1789 in Slough where he lived until he died in 1822. He was Knighted by the Prince Regent in 1816.
So you see, the "Observatory Shopping Centre" is not such an odd name after all!
Photographer, writer, teacher :: Live honestly. Progress through knowledge. Achieve by teaching. Communicate in writing. Speak in pictures. Every day, improve the world a little...
the skyline reflection on the globe is outstanding. fab info. always have to wonder why history picks and chooses what to highlight a person for; the time information was and is so important.
