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John Herschel originated the use of the Julian day system in astronomy and made several important contributions to the improvement of photographic processes ( Cyanotype). He coined the terms "photography", "negative", and "positive", and discovered sodium thiosulphite as a fixer of silver halides.

Herschel was born at Slough, Buckinghamshire, and studied at Eton College and St John's College, Cambridge. He graduated as senior wranglerAt the University of Cambridge in England, a wrangler is a student who has completed the third year (called Part II of the mathematical tripos with first-class honours. The highest-scoring student is named the "senior wrangler"; the second highest-scoring in 1813. It was during his time as an undergraduate that he became friends with Charles BabbageCharles Babbage ( December 26 1791 October 18 1871) was an English mathematician, analytical philosopher and (proto-) computer scientist who was the first person to come up with the idea of a programmable computer. Parts of his uncompleted mechanisms are and George PeacockGeorge Peacock ( April 9, 1791 November 8, 1858) was an English mathematician. George Peacock was born on April 9, 1791, at Denton in the north of England, 14 miles from Richmond in Yorkshire. His father, the Rev. Thomas Peacock, was a clergyman of the Ch. He took up astronomy in 1816, building a reflecting telescope with a mirror 18 inches in diameter and with a 20 foot focal length. Between 1821 and 1823 he re-examined, with James SouthSir James South (October 1785 October 19 1867) was a British astronomer. He helped found the Astronomical Society of London, and it was under his name that a petition was successfully submitted to obtain a royal charter in 1831, whereupon it became the Ro, the double stars catalogued by his father. For this work he was presented in 1826Events February 11 University College London is founded, under the name University of London''. April 1 Samuel Morey patents the internal combustion engine. June 14- 15 The Auspicious Incident: Mahmud II, sultan of Ottoman Empire, crushes the last mutiny with the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical SocietyThe Gold Medal is the highest award of the Royal Astronomical Society. In the early years, more than one medal was often awarded in a year, but by 1833 only one medal was being awarded per year. This caused a problem when Neptune was discovered in 1846, b (which he would win again in 1836Events January Book by Maria Monk claims that she was sexually exploited in a Canadian convent February 3 United States Whig Party holds its first convention in Albany, New York. February 23 The siege of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas. February 24); and with the Lalande Medal of the French Institute in 1825; while the Royal Society had in 1821 bestowed upon him the Copley Medal for his mathematical contributions to their Transactions. He was knighted in 1831.

In 1833 Herschel travelled to South Africa in order to catalogue the stars of the southern skies. Amongst his other observations during this time was that of the return of Comet Halley. He returned to England in 1838 and published Results of Astronomical Observations made at the Cape of Good Hope in 1847. In this publication he proposed the names still used today for the seven then-known satellites of Saturn: Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Titan and Iapetus.[1] In the same year Herschel received his second Copley Medal from the Royal Society for this work. A few years later, in 1852, he proposed the names still used today for the four then-known satellites of Uranus: Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon.

Herschel's other works included Outlines of Astronomy (1849); General Catalogue of 10,300 Multiple and Double Stars, (published posthumously); Familiar Lectures on Scientific Subjects; and General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters. At his death he was given a national funeral and buried in Westminster Abbey.

In 1835, the New York Sun newspaper wrote a series of satiric articles that came to be known as the Great Moon Hoax, with statements falsely attributed to John Herschel about his supposed discoveries of animals living on the Moon, including batlike winged humanoids.

He had three sons: one of whom, Alexander Stewart Herschel, was also an astronomer. He also had nine daughters.