What kind of difficulties did William Herschel encounter trying to accomplish his work?
He was born Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in Hanover, Germany, as one of ten children (of whom four died very young), of Isaac Herschel (1707-1768) an oboist of the Hanover Military Band. Although Isaac was of Jewish birth [1], his wife was a Christian and the children were raised as Christians. His wife especially was instrumental in his own conversion to Christianity. In 1755 the Hanoverian Guards regiment, in whose band William and his brother Jacob were engaged as oboists, was ordered to England. At the time, the crowns of England and Hannover were united under George II. This brief visit made an impression, and the next year the brothers resigned from the Guards band and moved to London. William learned English quickly and, at age nineteen, he changed his name to Frederick William Herschel. He became a successful music teacher and bandleader, played the violin besides the oboe and, later, the organ. During a concert in 1767, Herschel showed off his versatility by performing an oboe c
