FLAMSTEED (Joux), in biography, an eminent English astronomer, being in deed the first astronomer royal, for whose use the Royal Observatory was built at Greenwich, thence called Flam steed House. He was born at Denby, in Derbyshire, the 19th of August, 1646. He was educated at the free school of Derby, where his father lived, and at fourteen years of age was afflicted with a severe illness, which rendered his con stitution tender ever after, and prevent ed him then from going to the universi ty,, for which he was intended. He ne vertheless prosecuted his school educa tion with the best effect ; and then, in 1662, on quitting the grammar-school, he pursued the natural bent of his genius, which led him to the study of astronomy, and closely perused Sacrobosco's book "De Sphxra," which fell in his way, and which laid the ground-work of all that mathematical and astronominal know ledge, for which he became afterwards so justly famous. He next procured other more modern books of the same kind, and, among them, Street's "Astro nomic Carolina," then lately published, from which lie learned to calculate eclipses and the planets' places. Some of these being shewn to a Mr. Halton, a considerable mathematician, he lent him Riccioli's " Almagestum Novum," and Kepler's " Tabulm Rudolphinze," which be profited much by. In 1669, having calculated some remarkable eclipses of the moon, he sent them to Lord Brounc ker, president of the Royal Society, which were greatly approved by that learned body, and procured him a letter of thanks from Mr. Oldenburgh, their Secretary, and another from Mr. John Collins, with whom, and other learned men, Mr. Flamsteed for a long time after wards kept up a correspondence by let ters, on literary subjects.
In 1670, his father observing he held correspondence with these ingenious gentlemen, advised him to take a jour ney to London, to make himself perfect ly acquainted with them ; an offer which he gladly embraced, and visited Mr. 01 denburgh and Mr. Collins, who intro duced him to Sir Jonas Moore, which proved the means of his greatest honour and preferment : he here got the know ledge and practice of astronomical in struments, as telescopes, micrometers, &c. On his return, he called at Cam
bridge, and visited Dr. Barrow, Mr. Isaac Newton, and other learned men there, and entered himself a student of Jesus College. In 1672, he extracted several observations from Mr. Gas coigne's and Mr. Crabtree'b letters, which improved him greatly in diop tries. In this year he made many celes tial observations, which, with calcula tions of the appulses of the moon and planets to fixed stars for the year follow. ing, he sent to Mr. Oldenburgh, who published them in the " Philosophical Transactions." 1673, Mr. Flamsteed wrote a small tract concerning the true diameters of all the planets, when at their greatest and least distances from the earth, which he lent to Mr. Newton in 1685, who made some use of it in the fourth book of his " Principia." In 1674, he wrote an ephemeris to show the falsity of astrology, and the ignorance of those who pretended to it ; with calculations of the moon's rising and setting ; also occultations and appulses of the moon and planets to the fixed stars. To which, at Sir Jonas Moore's request, he added a table of the moon's southings for that Year ; from which, and from " Theory of the Tides," the high-waters being computed, he found the times come very near. In 1674, too, he drew up an account of the tides for the use of the king. Sir Jonas also shewed the King, and the Duke of York, some barometers and thermometers that Mr. Flamsteed had given him, with the necessary rules for judging of the weather ; and otherwise took every op portunity of speaking favourably of Flamsteed to them, till at length he brought him a warrant to be the king's astronomer, with a salary of 1001. per annum, to be paid out of the office of ordnance, because Sir Jonas was then surveyor-general of the ordnance. This, however, did not abate our author's pro pensity for holy orders, and be was ac cordingly ordained at Ely, by Bishop Gunning.