William Lassell

William Lassell was born on 18 June 1799 in England and made his living as a merchant, but his real work happened at night. He refined the design of the reflecting telescope, crafting optics sharp enough to pull faint objects from the dark. That precision paid off: he discovered four planetary satellites that had eluded every astronomer before him, circling the outer giants of the solar system. His finds expanded the known architecture of the planets at a time when each new moon redrew the map. He died on 5 October 1880, having seen farther than his tools were supposed to allow.