Herschel discovers Titania

Observations from Tahiti were compared with observations elsewhere to estimate the scale of the solar system.

He recorded a small object in Gemini, at first thinking it might be a comet.

Later observations showed that Herschel's object was a planet beyond Saturn.

The first modern discovery of a planet began with this observation.

The precise dated sighting enabled other astronomers to establish the object's orbit.

Observations of a faint point near the planet added a new satellite to the known solar system.

Titania's detection showed that the recently identified planet was orbited by moons.

Herschel's observation of Titania demonstrated that distant satellites could be detected from Earth.

Oberon was observed on the same night as Titania, revealing a second moon of Uranus.

The paired discoveries changed astronomers' picture of the recently found planet.