Astronomer Royal

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Astronomer Royal was originally the title of the director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, but since 1972 it has simply been an honorary title.

King Charles II, who founded the Royal Greenwich Observatory in 1675 instructed the first Astronomer Royal John Flamsteed, "to apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the rectifying of the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation."

The complete list of Astronomers Royal is given in the table below.

John Flamsteed	1675 – 1719
Edmond Halley	1720 – 1742
James Bradley	1742 – 1762
Nathaniel Bliss	1762 – 1764
Nevil Maskelyne	1765 – 1811
John Pond	1811 – 1835
George Airy	1835 – 1881
William Christie	1881 – 1910
Frank Dyson	1910 – 1933
Harold Spencer Jones	1933 – 1955
Richard van der Riet Woolley	1956 – 1971
Martin Ryle	1972 – 1982
Francis Smith	1982 – 1990
Arnold Wolfendale	1991 – 1995
Martin Rees	1995 –

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