Royal Greenwich Observatory
Frank Watson Dyson Papers, 1875-1950.
Includes principally: A. Correspondence and administrative papers connected with all aspects of the running of the Royal Observatory. B. Documentation of important topics: the successful resistance to pressure from Admiralty to close the Royal Observatory to save expenditure during World War One and wartime work undertaken by Dyson to prove the merits of the establishment; the tradition, established by Christie and continued by Dyson, of sending expeditions to observe solar eclipses, wherever a favorable event occurred. Most importantly, he organized, with Arthur Eddington, the expeditions to observe the eclipse of 1919 May 29; Dyson's Royal Observatory party travelled to Sobral in Brazil, whilst Eddington's Cambridge University team went to the island of Principe in the Gulf of Guinea. The observations of the deflection of starlight at the Sun's limb, particularly those made at Sobral where the sky remained cloudless, served as the first experimental evidence of the veracity of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. The commencement of the radio dissemination of the Greenwich Mean Time signal from the Royal Observatory (the "six pips"); gift of Đ15,000 by William Johnstone Yapp to construct the 36-inch Yapp reflecting telescope, and commencement of construction of the telescope and dome. C. This is a partial list of the names of correspondents and others as they appear in the handlist to this class of papers in RGO Archives. It must be remembered that this is not necessarily an exhaustive list of names as they appear in the papers themselves. Researchers interested in a particular period ae invited to write to the RGO Archivist if they are interested in particular individuals whose names do not appear below, but who could possibly have been in correspondence with the person or institution responsible for creating the class. Correspondents: Dr. C. Adams; G. B. Airy; Prof. Albrecht; Dr. Alter; Dr. G. Archenhold; Sir R. Arman-Gregory; Dr. R. Atkinson; Dr. O. Backlund; Sir V. Badderley; Dr. L. Bauer; Dr. C. Beals; C. Beals; A. Beer; P. Bernard; Mr. Bhaskaron; Prof. Blackett; F. C. Blyth; K. Bottomley; E. Brown; C. Burch; S. Burrard; Dr. Cammelim; W. D. Chandler; Dr. Chant; Prof. Chapman; Prof. S. Chapman; Bishop Chichester; B. Chikhachev; W. Christie; Col. Close; Dr. Comrie; Lord Cottesloe; Capt. C. Crawford; N. Dneprovsky; Sir E. W. Dyson; Sir F. Dyson; Sir A. Eddington; Sgt. J. Edgell; Einstein; Mons. Esclangon; Dr. Evans; Mr. Evershed; Sir J. Fleming; Col. Gordon; Sir H. Grubb-Parsons; Dr. W. Lockyer; Dr. Ludendorff; M. Lyot; Sir I. Newton; Capt. Nicholson; Prof. Ogg; Prof. J. Oort; Sir H. Parsons; Rev. T. Philips; H. Plaskett; Prof R. Redman; E. Rutherford; Gen. B. Schonland; Dr. Sitter; Sir H. Spencer Jones; Dr. Stoy; Col. Stratton; Dr. Subbotim; Dr. R. Woolley; Rev. R. Woolley; among others.
Dyson (1868-1939) was Ninth Astronomer Royal, in office 1910-1933. Chief Assistant 1894-1906. Born in 1868 near Ashby de la Zouche, Dyson was educated at Brandford and at the University of Cambridge, from whence, after a period of research, he was appointed as Chief Assistant at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, by W. H. M. Christie in 1894. Proving to be a most diligent astronomer, in 1906 Dyson was appointed Astronomer Royal for Scotland, returning to Greenwich in 1910 on Christie's retirement as Astronomer Royal. He retired from his office in 1933 and, as his predecessor had done, died at sea, in 1939.
Airy, George Biddell, 1801-1892
Dyson, Frank Watson, 1868-1939.
Eddington, Arthur Stanley, Sir, 1882-1944
Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955
Jones, H. Spencer (Harold Spencer), 1890-
Rutherford, Ernest, 1871-1937
Great Britain. Admiralty.
Astronomical observatories -- Great Britain
Astronomy -- Research.
Eclipses, Solar -- Observations -- Africa, West -- 1919.
Eclipses, Solar -- Observations -- South America -- Brazil -- Sobral -- 1919.
Radio programs, Public service -- Scientific applications -- England.
Reflecting telescopes -- Design and construction.
Relativity (Physics) -- Observations.
Scientific expeditions -- South America -- Brazil.
Time-signals -- Technological innovations.
Time -- Systems and standards -- England.
World War, 1914-1918 -- Economic aspects -- England.
World War, 1914-1918 -- Science -- England.
Adams, C., Dr.
Albrecht, Prof.
Alter, Dr.
Archenhold, G., Dr.
Arman-Gregory, R., Sir.
Atkinson, R., Dr.
Backlund, O., Dr.
Badderley, V., Sir.
Bauer, L., Dr.
Beals, Carlyle Smith, 1899-
Beals, Carlyle Smith, 1899-
Beer, A.
Bernard, P.
Bhaskaron, Mr.
Blackett, P. M. S. (Patrick Maynard Stuart), Baron Blackett, 1897-1974.
Blyth, F. C.
Bottomley, K.
Brown, E.
Burch, Cecil Reginald, 1901-1983
Burrard, S.
Cammelim, Dr.
Chandler, W. D.
Chant, Dr.
Chapman, Prof.
Chapman, S. Prof.
Chichester, Bishop
Chikhachev, B.
Christie, W.
Close, Col.
Comrie, L. J. (Leslie John), 1893-1950.
Cottesloe, Lord.
Crawford, C., Capt.
Dneprovsky, N.
Dyson, E. W., Sir
Edgell, J., Sgt.
Esclangon, Mons.
Evans, Dr.
Evershed, Mr.
Fleming, J. Sir
Gordon, Col.
Grubb-Parsons, Sir H.
Lockyer, Dr. W.
Ludendorff, Dr.
Lyot, M.
Newton, Isaac, 1642-1727
Nicholson, Capt.
Ogg, Prof.
Oort, Jan Hendrik.
Parsons, H., Sir
Philips, T., Rev.
Plaskett, Harry Hemley, 1893-
Redman, R., Prof.
Sitter, Willem de
Stoy, Richard Hugh, 1910-
Stratton, Col.
Subbotim, Dr.
Woolley, R., Rev.
Yapp, William Johnstone.
AIP-ICOS
Royal Greenwich Observatory Archives Department of Manuscripts and University Archives. Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR, England UK