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Telescopium Herschelii

The Telescope of Herschel

Abbreviation:TeH
Genitive:Telescopii Herschelii
Origin:Maximilian Hell, 1789

Hungarian astronomer Maximilian Hell (1720–1792) was an admirer of William Herschel and to honour the Anglo-German astronomer's discovery of the planet Uranus in 1781, Hell created two constellations called Tubus Hershelli Major and Tubus Hershelli Minor. (Johann Elert Bode is responsible for renaming the former Telescopium Herschelii.) Both constellations are in the general area where the planet was found, with Telescopium Herschelii located in the modern constellation of Auriga, just north of Gemini. Tubus Hershelli Minor is crammed between Taurus and Orion, with the bull apparently observing the giant's club through the instrument.

The extinct constellation of Telescopium Herschelii