GROOMBRIDGE, STEPHEN

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).