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Sir George Biddell Airy (1801–1892)

Image credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

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Airy was the seventh Astronomer Royal, a post he held for 46 years from 1835 to 1881. In 1826 Airy’s first book on astronomy was immediately adopted as a university textbook and he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, followed in 1828 by becoming the Plumian Professor of Astronomy and director of the new university observatory. Here he introduced a new system of meridian observation, later continued at Greenwich, where he was appointed as Astronomer Royal on 18th June 1835. His regime was one of extraordinary energy and high scientific achievement, particularly in precision astronomy devoted to the improvement of navigation and the closely related field of time measurement, but also in magnetism and other areas. He completely re-equipped the Observatory, including in 1851 with the great Airy Transit Circle, which from that year formed the basis of Greenwich time measurement and its transmission by telegraph on a national and subsequently a world-wide basis.

National Maritime Museum

London

Title

Sir George Biddell Airy (1801–1892)

Date

1883

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 127 x W 101.5 cm

Accession number

BHC2507

Work type

Painting

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National Maritime Museum

Romney Road, Greenwich, London, Greater London SE10 9NF England

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