only son of F. W. Herschel. He continued his father’s observations of double stars and nebulae, and in 1834 began a survey of the southern sky from the Cape of Good Hope (in modern South Africa). The survey yielded over 2100 doubles plus 1700 nebulae and clusters which he combined with his father’s discoveries in the General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (which formed the basis for the New General Catalogue). His other contributions to astronomy included one of the first measurements of the solar constant, and an early photometer. He was also a pioneer of photography. His second son, Alexander Stewart Herschel (1836–1907), was also an astronomer, best known for his work on meteor showers.