Charles Edward Adams (1 October 1870 – 31 October 1945) was a New Zealand university lecturer, surveyor, astronomer and seismologist.
His father, Charles William Adams, emigrated from Tasmania in 1862 and was also a surveyor and astronomer.
Charles was born on 1 October 1870 in Lawrence, New Zealand, educated at the University of Canterbury (then Canterbury College) and then lectured at Lincoln University and Victoria University of Wellington before becoming government astronomer.