Chapter I: Preface

I was present on one occasion at a popular lecture delivered in Greenwich, when the lecturer referred to the way in which so many English people travel to the ends of the earth in order to see interesting or wonderful places, and yet entirely neglect places of at least equal importance in their own land. 'Ten minutes' walk from this hall,' he said, 'is Greenwich Observatory, the most famous observatory in the world. Most of you see it every day of your lives, and yet I dare say that not one in a hundred of you has ever been inside.'

Whether the lecturer was justified in the general scope of his stricture or not, the particular instance he selected was certainly unfortunate. It was not the fault of the majority of his audience that they had not entered Greenwich Observatory, since the regulations by which it is governed forbade them doing so. These rules are none too stringent, for the efficiency of the institution would certainly suffer if it were made a 'show' place, like a picture gallery or museum. The work carried on therein is too continuous and important to allow of interruption by daily streams of sightseers.

To those who may at some time or other visit the Observatory it may be of interest to have at hand a short account of its history, principal instruments, and work. To the far greater number who will never be able to enter it, but who yet feel an interest in it, I would trust that this little book may prove some sort of a substitute for a personal visit.

I would wish to take this opportunity of thanking the Astronomer Royal for his kind permission to reproduce some of the astronomical photographs taken at the Observatory and to photograph the domes and instruments. I would also express my thanks to Miss Airy, for permission to reproduce the photograph of Sir G. B. Airy; to Mr. J. Nevil Maskelyne, F.R.A.S., for the portrait of Dr. Maskelyne; to Mr. Bowyer, for procuring the portraits of Bliss and Pond; to Messrs. Edney and Lacey, for many photographs of the Royal Observatory; and to the Editor of _Engineering_, for permission to copy two engravings of the Astrographic telescope.

E. W. M.

ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH,
_August, 1900_.

(_From a photograph by Mr. Lacey._)]

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. INTRODUCTION 13

II. FLAMSTEED 25

III. HALLEY AND HIS SUCCESSORS 60

IV. AIRY 102

V. THE OBSERVATORY BUILDINGS 124

VI. THE TIME DEPARTMENT 146

VII. THE TRANSIT AND CIRCLE DEPARTMENTS 181

VIII. THE ALTAZIMUTH DEPARTMENT 205

IX. THE MAGNETIC AND METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENTS 228

X. THE HELIOGRAPHIC DEPARTMENT 251

XI. THE SPECTROSCOPIC DEPARTMENT 266

XII. THE ASTROGRAPHIC DEPARTMENT 284

XIII. THE DOUBLE-STAR DEPARTMENT 303

INDEX 317

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

FLAMSTEED, THE FIRST ASTRONOMER ROYAL _Frontispiece_

THE NEW BUILDING 7

GENERAL VIEW OF THE OBSERVATORY BUILDINGS FROM THE
NEW DOME 12

FLAMSTEED'S SEXTANT 36

THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY IN FLAMSTEED'S TIME 44

THE 'CAMERA STELLATA' IN FLAMSTEED'S TIME 52

EDMUND HALLEY 61

HALLEY'S QUADRANT 69

JAMES BRADLEY 72

GRAHAM'S ZENITH SECTOR 77

NATHANIEL BLISS 83

NEVIL MASKELYNE 87

HADLEY'S QUADRANT 91

JOHN POND 96

GEORGE BIDDELL AIRY, ASTRONOMER ROYAL 103

THE ASTRONOMER ROYAL'S ROOM 110

THE SOUTH-EAST TOWER 115

W. H. M. CHRISTIE, ASTRONOMER ROYAL 121

THE ASTRONOMER ROYAL'S HOUSE 127

THE COURTYARD 130

PLAN OF OBSERVATORY AT PRESENT TIME 134

THE GREAT CLOCK AND PORTER'S LODGE 147

THE CHRONOGRAPH 158

THE TIME-DESK 164

HARRISON'S CHRONOMETER 165

THE CHRONOMETER ROOM 167

THE CHRONOMETER OVEN 171

THE TRANSIT PAVILION 174

'LOST IN THE BIRKENHEAD' 179

THE TRANSIT CIRCLE 189

THE MURAL CIRCLE 195

AIRY'S ALTAZIMUTH 208

NEW ALTAZIMUTH BUILDING 211

THE NEW ALTAZIMUTH 213

THE NEW OBSERVATORY AS SEEN FROM FLAMSTEED'S OBSERVATORY 219

THE SELF-REGISTERING THERMOMETERS 235

THE ANEMOMETER ROOM, NORTH-WEST TURRET 240

THE ANEMOMETER TRACE 243

MAGNETIC PAVILION--EXTERIOR 246

MAGNETIC PAVILION--INTERIOR 248

THE DALLMEYER PHOTO-HELIOGRAPH 254

PHOTOGRAPH OF A GROUP OF SUN-SPOTS 259

THE GREAT NEBULA IN ORION 269

THE HALF-PRISM SPECTROSCOPE ON THE SOUTH-EAST EQUATORIAL 273

THE WORKSHOP 276

THE 30-INCH REFLECTOR WITH THE NEW SPECTROSCOPE
ATTACHED 278

'CHART PLATE' OF THE PLEIADES 286

THE CONTROL PENDULUM AND THE BASE OF THE THOMPSON
TELESCOPE 289

THE ASTROGRAPHIC TELESCOPE 291

THE DRIVING CLOCK OF THE ASTROGRAPHIC TELESCOPE 294

THE THOMPSON TELESCOPE IN THE NEW DOME 297

THE NEBULÆ OF THE PLEIADES 300

DOUBLE-STAR OBSERVATION WITH THE SOUTH-EAST EQUATORIAL 308

THE SOUTH-EAST DOME WITH THE SHUTTER OPEN 314

(_From a photograph by Mr. Lacey._)]

THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY

GREENWICH