Frank Watson Dyson Biography and Timeline

Astronomer Royal Appointment

Becomes Astronomer Royal and director at Greenwich.

Role range: 1910-1933

Greenwich Observatory Leadership

Takes national leadership of British positional astronomy.

Role range: 1910-1933

Dyson Appointed Astronomer Royal

Frank Watson Dyson took leadership of the national observatory during developments in astrophysics. The programme linked scientific data with public time standards.

Frank Dyson Becomes Astronomer Royal

Frank Watson Dyson succeeded Christie and directed twentieth century Greenwich astronomy.

Greenwich Astronomy Research Reorganised

Dyson continued modernising the observatory's research programmes while maintaining the precision measurements required for timekeeping.

Light Deflection

Dyson organises eclipse expeditions that test general relativity by measuring stellar positions near the Sun

Relativity, Theory of

Arthur Eddington and Astronomer Royal Frank Watson Dyson organized two expeditions to observe a solar eclipse in 1919 to make the first empirical test of Einsteins theory: the measurement of the deflection of light by the suns gravitational field

Greenwich Observatory Supports Eclipse Research

Astronomers associated with the Royal Observatory supported observations of the solar eclipse used to test general relativity.

Wireless Time Service Preparations

Greenwich staff developed the accurate timekeeping procedures that would support regularly broadcast radio time signals.

Greenwich Hourly Radio Time Signals Begin

The British Broadcasting Company's six pip time signal drew on the Observatory's accurate time service. The development became important to surveying and nautical charts.

BBC Broadcasts Greenwich Time Signals

Radio broadcasts began carrying time signals derived from Greenwich's precision timekeeping service.