Edwin Dunkin (1821-1898), British astronomer. After his father's death in 1838, Dunkin was employed by George Airy, the Astronomer Royal, as an observer of the planets and Moon at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London. His rigorous approach won him the respect of his peers. For several years he made detailed observations of the Moon, and in 1854 became one of the first astronomers to use the telegraph to calculate terrestrial longitude. Among his numerous papers was a discussion of the motion of the Sun with respect to the proper (apparent) motions of the stars, which corroborated William Herschel's work of 80 years before. For many years he was secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society.