Cooke Telescope Tales - Leeds Astronomical Society visit Cooke factory in York in1920

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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A little ramble through 19th century astronomy - The Inter Mercurial Planet in 1877

 Nature January 25^th 1877

The Inter Mercurial Planet

In M. Leverrier’s last communication to the Paris Academy on the planet assumed to exist within the orbit of Mercury, it was mentioned that, with the elements adopted, or very similar ones, a solar conjunction would occur on March 22, and a transit over the sun’s disc was possible though uncertain.

A close examination of the disc is therefore recommended on March 22 and 23, and there is reason to believe that observers in widely differing longitudes are prepared to undertake it.

If no transit should occur, eight or nine years may elapse before one is possible at the spring node.

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A little ramble through You Tube - Aquarius the Water Carrier

 https://youtu.be/47nvnw60dh4

Aquarius the water Carrier one of the constellations of the zodiac

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A little ramble through Pyxis the Compass

 Pyxis the Compass is the smallest and least impressive of the four parts into which the constellation Argo Navis the ship was divided into in the 1750s by the French astronomer Lacaille. The other sections are Carina the keel, Puppis the poop and Vela the sails.

There are no objects of particular interest to naked eye observers or indeed to users of binoculars even though the constellation lies in the Milky Way.

The brightest star is alpha at mag 3.7 which is a B class giant with a surface temperature of 22,000’C and is 880 light years away.

T Pyx is a recurrent Nova that has erupted more times than any other Nova. T Pyx erupted in 1890, 1902, 1920, 1944, 1960 and 2011. It lies between beta and lambda. It usually brightens from mag 15 to around mag 7.0 meaning that at maximum it can be seen with binoculars.

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The Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio

 Join me, Martin Lunn MBE every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the award-winning 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 latest news from the astronomical societies in the north of England.

The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio live online 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.

 

Cooke Telescope Tales - Cookes and Romania

In early 1927 Cookes were 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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A little ramble through the Astronomical Register in August 1863 - planetary nebula in Draco

 PLANETARY NEBULA IN DRACO. 

 Sir, I beg to call the attention of your readers to Herschel's planetary nebula, No. 37, in Draco, situated between Zeta and Delta of that constellation, and close to the pole of the Ecliptic. 

I was looking at the nebula a few nights ago with my reflector of 12 inch aperture, having silvered glass specula, and perceived very near to its centre and deeply immersed in the pale blue nebulosity, a small star of the tenth magnitude, or thereabouts. On referring to Admiral Smyth's ' Cycle ' I found he describes the nebula as " a bright pale blue object, " but makes no reference to any star. I have not the means of knowing in what manner it was described by Sir Wm. Herschel, its discoverer; but it would be sin- gular if the star was then as visible as it is now, that he should have missed it. I see it best with a power of 110, and the largest possible aperture. I hope this may meet the eye of some of your numerous readers, who may possess instruments of great calibre so as to verify my observation, and detect any peculiarity in the object which my instrument will not reveal and not hitherto observed.

 

Key Hill, Hockley, Birmingham,

July 16th, 1863.

I am, Sir, Yours faithfully,

FREDERICK BIRD.

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