John Flamsteed
John Flamsteed | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Thomas Gibson, 1712 | |
| Born | 19 August 1646 |
| Died | 31 December 1719 (aged 73) |
| Alma mater | Jesus College, Cambridge |
| Known for | First Astronomer Royal |
| Spouse | Margaret Cooke |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
John Flamsteed FRS (19 August 1646 – 31 December 1719) was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. His main achievements were the preparation of a 3,000-star catalogue, Catalogus Britannicus, and a star atlas called Atlas Coelestis, both published posthumously. He also made the first recorded observations of Uranus, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a star, and he laid the foundation stone for the Royal Greenwich Observatory.