Comet Close, E12

Place Name

Named in honour of the work of the rector of Wanstead, the astronomer James Pound, who in 1717 was lent Christiaan Huygens’s 123-foot focal length object-glass by the Royal Society. His observations from Wanstead Park of the five known satellites of Saturn enabled Edmond Halley to correct their movements. Halley, who also has a nearby road named after him, went on to calculate the length of time that the great comet, later named in his honour, would be visible from Earth.

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