What role did John Flamsteed (1646 1719) fill in Great Britain?
John Flamsteed John Flamsteed John Flamsteed FRS (19 August 1646 – 31 December 1719) was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. His main achievements were the preparation of a 3,000-star catalogue, "Catalogus Britannicus", and a star atlas called "Atlas Coelestis", both published posthumously. He also made the first recorded observations of Uranus, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a star, and he laid the foundation stone for the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Flamsteed was born in Denby, Derbyshire, England, the only son of Stephen Flamsteed and his first wife, Mary Spadman. He was educated at the free school of Derby and
Margaret Flamsteed her husband, especially later when his hand became shaky. Margaret Flamsteed also acted as housekeeper for John, ensuring that his assistants, pupils, and visitors were cared for. After John Flamsteeds death in 1719 Margaret oversaw the publication of both the Historia Coelestis Britannica in 1725 and the Atlas Coelestis in 1729. Margaret was assisted by Joseph Crosthwait and Abraham Sharp, two of John Flamsteed's assistants. The publishing of these two great works was an expensive process and one she had to complete while dealing with the complicated fallout of her husbands estate and with diminished funds as many of her