et."

The "comet" was immediately observed by professional astronomers, and
its orbit was computed by some of them. It was thus found to move in
nearly a circle instead of an elongated ellipse, and to be nearly twice
as far from the sun as Saturn. It was no comet, it was a new planet;
more than 100 times as big as the earth, and nearly twice as far away as
Saturn. It was presently christened "Uranus."

This was a most striking discovery, and the news sped over Europe. To
understand the interest it excited we must remember that such a
discovery was unique. Since the most ancient times of which men had any
knowledge, the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, had been
known, and there had been no addition to their number. Galileo and
others had discovered satellites indeed, but a new primary planet was an
entire and utterly unsuspected novelty.

One of the most immediate consequences of the event was the discovery of
Herschel himself. The Royal Society made him a Fellow the same year. The
University of Oxford dubbed him a doctor; and the King sent for him to
bring his telescope and show it at Court. So to London and Windsor he
went, taking with him his best telescope. Maskelyne, the then
Astronomer-Royal, compared it with the National one at Greenwich, and
found Herschel's home-made instrument far the better of the two. He had
a stand made after Herschel's pattern, but was so disgusted with his own
instrument now that he scarcely thought it worthy of the stand when it
was made. At Windsor, George III. was very civil, and Mr. Herschel was
in great request to show the ladies of the Court Saturn and other
objects of interest. Mr. Herschel exhibited a piece of worldly wisdom
under these circumstances, that recalls faintly the behaviour of Tycho
Brahe under similar circumstances. The evening when the exhibition was
to take place threatened to become cloudy and wet, so Herschel rigged up
an artificial Saturn, constructed of card and tissue paper, with a lamp
behind it, in the distant wall of a garden; and, when the time came, his
new titled friends were regaled with a view of this imitation Saturn
through the telescope--the real one not being visible. They went away
much pleased.

He stayed hovering between Windsor and Greenwich, and uncertain what was
to be the outcome of all this regal patronizing. He writes to his sister
that he would much rather be back grinding mirrors at Bath. And she
writes begging him to com