He was born in
Garvald, East Lothian, the son of Rev Archibald Blair, the local minister. In 1773 he was apprenticed to Dr Francis Balfour, a
naval surgeon, and served in the
Royal Navy in the
West Indies. On return to Scotland he studied medicine at the
University of Edinburgh and qualified as a doctor in 1785. Robert Blair was the first Regius Professor of
Astronomy at the
University of Edinburgh (1785 until death). He invented the
aplanatic lens and also coined this term. This was a significant step in reducing the
aberration in optical systems. He also experimented with hollow lenses, holding different solutions. He was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1786. He died in
Westloch, Berwickshire on 22 December 1828. == References ==