Eclipses, Stars and Relativity 🌘ðŸ”
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich in the early twentieth century. Lee T. Macdonald, Librarian and Archivist at the History of Science Museum, draws on his book The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 1881-1939 — one of Nature’s Top 5 science books of 2026 — to reveal how Greenwich advanced astronomical research during an era of global upheaval.
What to expect:
🔠A century of Greenwich science — From John Harrison’s marine timekeepers and Britain’s time service to the Observatory’s move from London in search of clearer skies, told through many previously unpublished sources
🌘 The eclipse that made Einstein — The essential role Greenwich played in the expeditions to observe the 1919 solar eclipse, which confirmed a key prediction of general relativity — the theory expounded in the museum’s best-known exhibit, Einstein’s blackboard
📚 Q&A and the book — Doors open 5.45pm, lecture at 6pm followed by Q&A at 6.45pm, with The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 1881-1939 on sale in the Entrance Gallery — tickets from £5, students free