The Closure of the RGO

The Royal Greenwich Observatory was closed on 31st October 1998 by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council

Almost 10 years to the day after the foundation stone was laid for the Royal Greenwich Observatory's building in Cambridge and 323 years after it was founded the Royal Observatory was closed by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.

The most famous Observatory in the world and Britain's oldest scientific institution was founded at Greenwich by Charles II in 1675 and the Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, was appointed to determine the positions of the stars in the sky and the motions of the Moon and planets with the aim of determining an astronomical method of finding the longitude of a ship at sea.

The flag was lowered at Cambridge on Friday 30th October 1998