P000131 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

These key entries are listed separately below with other indexes and lists.

 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn updated 2026-03-02 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000131b.htm person Smalley George Robarts AACR2 1822 11 July 1870 Place of Birth Banbury, Oxfordshire, England Place of Death New South Wales, Australia Astronomer George Smalley was Government Astronomer and the second Director of the Sydney Observatory from 1864 to 1870. He was appointed on the recommendation of Astronomer Royal George Airy, whose program for the Observatory proved too ambitious for the available facilities. Smalley's interests were mainly meteorology and trigonometric surveying rather than celestial astronomy. He organised the automatic recording of harbour tides at Fort Denison, and expanded network of volunteer weather observers throughout the colony, with data being telegraphed on a daily basis. Magnetic and geodetic surveys of New South Wales were instituted by Smalley. With Charles Todd he fixed boundary between South Australia and New South Wales. Smalley palyed a major role in the transformation of the Philosophical Society of New South Wales to the Royal Society. He was an early advocate for the greater participation of women in science. 1846 1846 Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), St John's College, University of Cambridge 1846 1851 Career position - Third Assistant, Cape Observatory, South Africa 1851 1854 Career position - Professor of Mathematics, South African College, Cape Town, South Africa 1854 1862 Career position - Teacher of mathematics, King's College, London 1864 1864 Life event - Migrated to New South Wales 1864 1870 Career position - Government Astronomer, Sydney Observatory 1865 1865 Career position - Member of Council, Philosophical Society of New South Wales September 1865 1866 Career position - Member, Philosophical Society of New South Wales 1867 1870 Career position - Vice-President, Royal Society of New South Wales Royal Society of New South Wales (1866 - )

Vice-President 1867 - 1870

 Philosophical Society of New South Wales (1856 - 1866)

Member 1864 - 1866: Member of Council 1865

 Sydney Observatory, Colony and State of New South Wales (1858 - )

Government Astronomer 1864 - 1870

Wikidata

 Smalley, George Robarts (1822-1870)

Trove

 'Smalley, George Robarts', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Smalley, George Robarts Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource Section: Smalley, George Robarts Smalley, George Robarts Australian Science Archives Project 1995 Physics in Australia to 1945 R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham Journal Article: Sydney Observatory 1858-1983 Wood, H. Sydney Observatory 1858-1983 1983 Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia 5 2 273-281 Journal Article: Seeing Stars in the City: a History of Early Astronomy in Sydney Tyler, Peter J. Seeing Stars in the City: a History of Early Astronomy in Sydney 2009 Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 142 3/4 1-14 Journal Article: Opening address to the Royal Society, delivered at its first meeting, 12th May, 1871 Smith, J. Opening address to the Royal Society, delivered at its first meeting, 12th May, 1871 1872 Transactions of the Royal Society of New South Wales [5] 1-14 Journal Article: Annivesary address Clarke, W. B. Annivesary address 1871 Transactions of the Royal Society of New South Wales [4] 1-48 Book Section: Smalley, George Robarts (1822-1870), astronomer Wood, Harley Smalley, George Robarts (1822-1870), astronomer Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1976 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 6: 1851 - 1890 R - Z Bede Nairn 136-137 Book: Sydney Observatory, 1858 to 1958 Wood, H. W. Sydney Observatory, 1858 to 1958 Sydney 1958 Journal Article: 150 Years of Sydney Observatory Bhathal, Ragbir 150 Years of Sydney Observatory 2009 Astronomy & Geophysics 50 3 26-30 Resource: Federation and Meteorology Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Federation and Meteorology 2001 George Robarts Smalley - Records Powerhouse Museum George Robarts Smalley - Records 1864 - 1870 Information and records in the Sydney Observatory collection c1864-70.