Newall telescope used to observe Mars from Greece in 1964

In early 1964 the 25 inch Refractor was used at the Penteli observatory in Athens to allow astronomers to make drawings of the planet Jupiter. There were some very good drawings of the Great Red Spot. 

The Newall Telescope was originally made for Robert Newall in Gateshead in the north east of England in 1870. In 1885 it was donated to the observatory at Cambridge and in 1957 it was sent to the Penteli Observatory in Athens. The telescope is still in use today at the Penteli Observatory.

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The Astronomy show on Drystone Radio

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country. 

I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the A-Z of Constellations.

The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio live on line at www.drystoneradio.com DAB radio in Bradford and East Lancashire, or 102 and 103.5 FM and can also be heard later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

Maria Mitchell Observatory and a Thomas Cooke telescope

 The Maria Mitchell Observatory was founded in 1908 in Vestal Street Nantucket Massachusetts. The observatory was named after Maria Mitchell America’s first professional woman astronomer. 

In 1952 the observatory housed a 5 inch clark telescope which was given to Maria Mitchell in 1859 by the women of America and used as a guide scope for a Cooke photographic triplet telescope of 7.5 inches aperture. 

I do not know when the observatory acquired the Cooke and how long it was used there if it indeed is still there today?

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Leeds Astronomical Society visit Thomas Cooke & Son of York in 1920

On Saturday afternoon October 9^th 1920 members of the Leeds Astronomical Society of which Mr David Booth is president and others visited the works of Messrs Cooke and Sons Ltd Bishophill, York where an interesting and instructive time was spent. 

During their tour around the works they saw how lens are ground down and polished and how various instruments are used and adjusted. 

Among the other things pointed out were various parts of the 18 inch telescope for Brazil. In the show room there were various telescopes including one made by Mr Cooke in 1850. 

The visitors were surprised to find that in York there were such large and extensive works equipped with the various modern and accurate machines capable of making the most precise scientific instruments for the exacting demands of today.

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Cooke Troughton & Simms in Romania in 1927

In early 1927 Cookes was contacted by the Resita Company in Romania with reference to their geodetic equipment. 

Literature from Cooke Troughton and Simms through their representative Captain Boxshall were sent to the company and secured a very respectable order and it was hoped that this with be the first of many with Romania.

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Iapetus occulted by Saturn in 1963 seen with Cooke telescope in South Africa

On October 17^th 1963 using the 6 inch Cooke telescope at x300 magnification at the Republic Observatory  in Johannesburg, South Africa astronomers saw the Saturnian moon Iapteus occulted by Saturn. Iapetus was discovered by Cassini in 1671, 

The first dimming occurred at 18h 58 m UT the light was finally extinguished at 19h 07m. These observations were confirmed by the Astronomical Observatory at Madrid. 

The Union Observatory was originally the Meteorological Observatory built in 1905, it became the Union Observatory in 1912, until 1961 and finally the republic Observatory until it closed in 1971.

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Looking at Venus through a Cooke telescope from Nottingham in 1863

 On October 22^nd 1863 and turning my 6 inch Cooke telescope upon Venus I was much surprised to see almost the whole of the unilluminated disc pf the planet; it was so striking I appearance, that I thought it must be the resemblance of the Moon, which made me fancy that I could see the unilluminated portion. My sister in law, whom I called to witness the planet, but without telling her what to look for, said she instantly saw the whole disc. The atmosphere was beautifully clear, but still the planet was so far past conjunction, that I should scarcely have imagined the phenomena would be visible.

 

J F Barber Stanton by Dale Nottingham

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