Groombridge, Stephen

Stephen Groombridge, (born Jan. 7, 1755, Goudhurst, Kent, Eng.—died March 30, 1832, London), English astronomer, compiler of a star catalog known by his name.

Groombridge began observations at Blackheath, London, in 1806 and retired from the West Indian trade in 1815 to devote full time to the project. A Catalogue of Circumpolar Stars, listing 4,243 stars situated within 50° of the North Pole and having apparent magnitudes greater than 9, was published in 1838 after having been edited by the Royal Astronomer Sir George Airy. Groombridge was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1812, and eight years later he was a founding member of the Astronomical Society of London (later the Royal Astronomical Society).