E. Walter (Edward Walter) Maunder

Born in London in 1851, Edward Walter Maunder became a solar astronomer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, after early study at King's College London and work as a bank clerk. He is best remembered for research on sunspots and the solar cycle, including the historical period of unusually low sunspot activity now known as the Maunder Minimum.

Maunder was also an energetic organizer and popularizer of astronomy. He was one of the founders of the British Astronomical Association, created to welcome observers outside the more exclusive scientific societies of the time, and he served it in leading roles. His work helped connect professional astronomy with a much wider community of dedicated sky-watchers.

He died in 1928, but his name remains closely tied to solar physics. Modern readers still encounter him through the Maunder Minimum and the "butterfly diagram" of sunspot latitudes, both linked to his efforts to understand how the Sun changes over time.