Royal Observatory
As England developed colonies and trading interests during the 17th century it became essential that her warships and merchant vessels could navigate the oceans.
Charles II appointed the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, whose tables of star observations would help his sailors to calculate their position at sea with greater accuracy when out of sight of land.
The Tower of London, however, was not ideal for astronomy so the Royal Observatory was built at Greenwich.
Constellations of the zodiac from John Flamsteed’s book; Atlas Coelestis, 1729.
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Aries
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Taurus
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Gemini
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Cancer
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Leo
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Virgo
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Libra
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Sagittarius
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Aquarius
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Pisces
