Flamsteed

The observatory was founded by Charles II in 1676 with Flamsteed House, named after the first Astronomer Royal John Flamsteed, thought to be the work of Sir Christopher Wren.

The Queen visited the restored Flamsteed House, the oldest building of the old Royal Observatory, in 1960.

The two became friends, and Halley was something of Flamsteed’s protégé for a time—although, as we shall see, they later fell out.

In the summer of that year, Halley visited Flamsteed in London, and he assisted him with observations, including two lunar eclipses on 27 June and 21 December.

Halley came home in the spring of 1678 and his catalogue of southern stars was published in November that year, earning him the sobriquet ‘Our Southern Tycho’ from Flamsteed himself; he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 30 November.