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William Herschel discovered Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, during the first use of his new telescope which was then the largest in the world.
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William Herschel
German-born British astronomer and composer (1738–1822)
Frederick William Herschel was a German-British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel. Born in the Electorate of Hanover, William Herschel followed his father into the military band of Hanover, before…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Enceladus
Natural satellite orbiting Saturn
Enceladus is the sixth-largest moon of Saturn and the 18th-largest in the Solar System. It is about 500 kilometers in diameter, about a tenth of that of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. It is covered by clean, freshly deposited snow hundreds of meters thick, making it one of the…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Moons of Saturn
Natural satellites of the planet Saturn
The moons of Saturn are numerous and diverse, ranging from tiny moonlets only tens of meters across to Titan, which is larger than the planet Mercury. As of 11 March 2025, there are 274 moons with confirmed orbits, the most of any planet in the Solar System. Three of these are…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
40-foot telescope
English reflecting telescope, built 1785–1789
William Herschel's 40-foot telescope, also known as the Great Forty-Foot telescope, was a reflecting telescope constructed between 1785 and 1789 at Observatory House in Slough, England. It used a 48-inch (120 cm) diameter primary mirror with a 40-foot-long (12 m) focal length.…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
List of largest optical telescopes historically
World's largest telescopes
Telescopes have grown in size since they first appeared around 1608. The following tables list the increase in size over the years. Different technologies can and have been used to build telescopes, which are used to magnify distant views and gather light.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)