Sir George Biddell Airy (; 27 July 1801 – 2 January 1892) was an English
mathematician and
astronomer,
Astronomer Royal from 1835 to 1881. His many achievements include work on
planetary orbits, measuring the mean density of the Earth, a method of solution of two-dimensional problems in
solid mechanics and, in his role as Astronomer Royal, establishing
Greenwich as the location of the
prime meridian. His reputation has been tarnished by allegations that, through his inaction, Britain lost the opportunity of priority in the discovery of
Neptune.