This 'New Observatory,' like the old, and like the great South-eastern tower, is an octagon in its central portion. But whilst the two other great buildings are simply octagonal, here the octagon serves only as the centre from which radiate four great wings to the four points of the compass. The building is by far the largest on the ground, but in little accord with the popular idea of an astronomer as perpetually looking through a telescope, carries but a single dome; its best rooms being set apart as 'computing rooms,' for the use of those members of the staff who are employed in the calculations and other clerical work, which form, after all, much the greater portion of the Observatory routine.
An observer with the transit instrument, for instance, will take only three or four minutes to make a complete determination of the place of a single star. But that observation will furnish work to the computers for many hours afterwards. Or, to take a photograph of the sun will occupy about five minutes in setting the instrument, whilst the actual exposure will take but the one-thousandth part of a second. But the plate, once exposed, will have to be developed, fixed, and washed; then measured, and the measures reduced, and, on the average, will provide one person with work for four days before the final results have been printed and published.
It is easy to see, then, that observing, though the first duty of the Observatory, makes the smallest demand on its time. The visitor who comes to the Observatory by day (and none are permitted to do so by night) finds the official rooms not unlike those of Somerset House or Whitehall, and its occupants for the most part similarly engaged in what is, apparently, merely clerical work. An examination of the big folios would of course show that instead of being ledgers of sales of stamps, or income-tax schedules, they referred to stars, planets, and sun-spots; but for one person actively engaged at a telescope, the visitor would see a dozen writing or computing at a desk.
The staff, like the building, is the result of a gradual development, and bears traces of its life history in its composition. First comes the Astronomer Royal, the representative and successor of the original 'King's Astronomer,' the Rev. John Flamsteed. But the 'single surly and clumsy labourer,' which was all that the 'Merry Monarch' could grant for his assistance, is now represented by a large and complex body of workers; each varied class and rank of which is a relic of some stage in the progress of the Observatory to its present condition.
The following extract from the Annual Report of the Astronomer Royal to the Board of Visitors, June, 1900, describes the present personnel of the establishment:—
'The staff at the present time is thus constituted, the names in each class being arranged in alphabetical order:—
'Chief assistants—Mr. Cowell, Mr. Dyson.
'Assistants—Mr. Hollis, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Maunder, Mr. Nash, Mr. Thackeray.
'Second-class assistants—Mr. Bryant, Mr. Crommelin.
'Clerical assistant—Mr. Outhwaite.
'Established computers—Mr. Bowyer, Mr. Davidson, Mr. Edney, Mr. Furner, Mr. Rendell, and one vacancy.
'The two second-class assistants will be replaced by higher grade established computers as vacancies occur.
'Mr. Dyson and Mr. Cowell have the general superintendence of all the work of the Observatory. Mr. Maunder is charged with the heliographic photography and reductions, and with the preparation of the Library Catalogue. Mr. Lewis has charge of the time-signals and chronometers, and of the 28-inch equatorial. Mr. Thackeray superintends the miscellaneous astronomical computations, including the preparation of the new Ten-Year Catalogue. Mr. Hollis has charge of the photographic mapping of the heavens, the measurement of the plates, and the computations for the Astrographic Catalogue. Mr. Crommelin undertakes the altazimuth and Sheepshanks equatorial reductions, and Mr. Bryant the transit and meridian zenith distance reductions and time-determinations. In the magnetic and meteorological branch, Mr. Nash has charge of the whole of the work. Mr. Outhwaite acts as responsible accountant officer; has charge of the library, records, manuscripts, and stores, and conducts the official correspondence. As regards the established computers, Mr. Bowyer, Mr. Furner, Mr. Davidson, and Mr. Rendell assist Mr. Lewis, Mr. Thackeray, Mr. Hollis, and Mr. Bryant respectively, and Mr. Edney assists Mr. Nash.
'There are at the present time twenty-four supernumerary computers employed at the Observatory, ten being attached to the astronomical branch, two the chronometer branch, six to the astrographic, one to the heliographic, four to the magnetic and meteorological, and one to the clerical.
'A foreman of works, with two carpenters, and two labourers; a skilled mechanic with an assistant; a gate porter, two messengers, a watchman, a gardener, and a charwoman, are also attached to the Observatory.
'The whole number of persons regularly employed at the Observatory is fifty-three.'
The day work, as said before, is by far the greatest in amount, the 'office hours' being from nine till half-past four, with an hour's interval. The arrangements for the night watches present some complications.
For many years the instruments in regular use were two only, the transit circle and the altazimuth. The arrangements for observing were simple. Four assistants divided the work between them thus: an assistant was on duty with the transit circle one day, his watch beginning about six a.m. or a little later, and ending about three the following morning; a watch of twenty-one hours in maximum length. The second day his duties were entirely computational, and were only two or three hours in length. The third day he had a full day's work on the calculations, followed by a night duty with the altazimuth. The latter instrument might give him a very easy watch or a terribly severe one. If the moon were a young one it was easy, especially if the night was clear, as in that case an hour was enough to secure the observations required.
Very different was the case with a full moon, especially in the long, often cloudy, nights of winter. Then a vigilant watch had to be kept from sunset to sunrise, so that in case of a short break in the clouds the moon might yet be observed. Such a watch was the severest (with one exception) that an assistant had to undergo.
His fourth day would then resemble his second, and with the fifth day a second cycle of his quartan fever would commence, the symptoms following each other in the same sequence as before.