Flamsteed, John

Flamsteed, John (flăm'stēd) [key], 1646–1719, English astronomer. He was appointed (1675) astronomer royal by King Charles II and carried on his researches at Greenwich Observatory. Over his protests—he did not consider it ready for publication—the Historia Coelestis, which included the first of the Greenwich star catalogs, was published in 1712. His complete work, Historia Coelestis Britannica, finished after his death by his assistants, did not appear until 1725.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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