William Henry Finlay (FRAS) (17 June 1849, in Liverpool – 7 December 1924, in Grahamstown, South Africa) was a South African astronomer. completed a BA with honours (Mathematics) at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1873 and then a Master's degree also from Trinity College. Although he was not an astronomer, on the strength of his mathematical ability he was appointed first assistant at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope in April 1873, under the direction of Edward James Stone. His first duties were the reduction of the meridian observations of the previous director, Thomas Maclear. In November 1873 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. From initially being inexperienced in practical astronomy he went on to become an expert in the use of the Heliometer.

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  • A history of comet discovery from South Africa
  • The 1882 transit of Venus: The British expeditions to South Africa