Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the

Royal Households of the United Kingdom The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households. They vary considerably in size, ...

. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the junior is the

Astronomer Royal for Scotland Astronomer Royal for Scotland was the title of the director of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh until 1995. It has since been an honorary title. Astronomers Royal for Scotland See also * Edinburgh Astronomical Institution * City Observatory * R ...

dating from 1834. The post was created by King Charles II in 1675, at the same time as he founded the

Royal Observatory Greenwich Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

. He appointed John Flamsteed, instructing him "." The Astronomer Royal was director of the Royal Observatory Greenwich from the establishment of the post in 1675 until 1972. The Astronomer Royal became an honorary title in 1972 without executive responsibilities and a separate post of

Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory The Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory was the senior scientist responsible for the administration of the Royal Greenwich Observatory from 1972 until the institution's closure in 1998. History Executive responsibility for the Royal Obser ...

was created to manage the institution. The Astronomer Royal today receives a stipend of 100

GBP Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and t ...

per year and is a member of the Royal Household, under the general authority of the Lord Chamberlain. After the separation of the two offices, the position of Astronomer Royal has been largely honorary, though the holder remains available to advise the Sovereign on astronomical and related scientific matters, and the office is of great prestige. There was formerly a Royal Astronomer of Ireland, a post that seemingly ended with Irish independence. The Astronomer Royal is mentioned in H.G. Wells' novel '' The War of the Worlds'' and in

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...

's '' Down and Out in Paris and London''. He also makes an appearance in the lyrics of ''

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

s '' The Pirates of Penzance'' and plays an important role in Fred Hoyle's novel '' The Black Cloud''.

Astronomers Royal

References

External links

Official website
{{British Monarchy Household * Ceremonial officers in the United Kingdom Lists of British people Positions within the British Royal Household Astronomer Royal Royal Observatory, Greenwich