John Flamsteed

John Flamstead (August 19, 1646 - December 31, 1719) was an English astronomer and the first royal astronomer. His main achievements were the preparation of the 3000-star Catalogus Britannicus catalog and the Atlas Coelestis star atlas, published posthumously. He also made the first recorded observations of Uranus, although he mistakenly cataloged it as a star, and he laid the foundation for the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Flamstead was born in Denby, Derbyshire, England, the only son of Stephen Flamsteed and his first wife, Mary Spadman. He was educated at Derby Free School and at Derby School in St. Peter's Churchyard in Derby, where his father was a malt business. At that time, most of the school's masters were Puritans. Flamsteed possessed the deep knowledge of Latin necessary for reading the scientific literature of that time, as well as a love of history, leaving school in May 1662.