Cooke Telescope Tales - Carter Observatory in New Zealand

 In the Carter Observatory in Wellington New Zealand is a 9.75 inch Thomas Cooke & Sons telescope that has a wonderful history. 

It was originally made for Edward Crossley of Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1867 as a 9.3 inch telescope, it was used extensively by Crossley and his assistant Joseph Gledhill, with important observations of Mars and Jupiter being made. The 9.3 inch was also used in double star measurements and lead to be of the most important early catalogues on double stars by Crossley, Gledhill and James Wilson of Rugby. 

In 1896 a new photo visual lens was place in the telescope tube, it was slightly small at 9 inches.  On the death of Crossley in 1905 and the retirement of Gledhill the telescope was sold to the Rev David Kennedy on the north island of New Zealand at Meeanee, where an observatory was opened in 1907. 

By 1924 the telescope had been sold again to the Wellington City Council and was installed in a tin shed rather than a proper observatory due to a lack of money. 

However a local farmer and business man Charles Rooking Carter left in his will in 1896 a sum of £2240 to build an observatory. The observatory was built in Wellington and opened in December 1941, however due to the war very little happened until 1945. 

Since then the Cooke telescope has been extensively used and was retired from research work in 1971. In 1975 it was discovered that the chemicals inside the lens were unstable and over time would damage the lens. In 2001 a new lens this time 9.75 inches was installed. 

Today the telescope is still used for public open evenings and is a testament to the telescopes built by Thomas Cooke was made in 1867 and is still working today.

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Cooke Telescope Tales - the Transit of Venus in 1882

 Arthur Samuel Atkinson was born in Hurworth, Durham in 1833 and moved to New Zealand in 1853. He fought during the Taranaki war in 1860 and eventually he entered the legal profession but had a great love of astronomy. 

In 1882 he was asked by the Royal Society of London to be an official observer of the Transit of Venus. To do this he obtained a 5 inch Thomas Cooke & Sons telescope which I believe he purchased second hand. He also used it to observe the total eclipse of the Sun in 1885. 

The telescope was housed in an observatory in Nelson which is on the south island of New Zealand and was originally called the Atkinson Observatory. In 1982 a newer building was opened and in 2008 the observatory was renamed the Cawthron Atkinson Observatory after the wealthy benefactor Thomas Cawthron. 

The Cooke 5 inch telescope was officially retired from active use in 2017 and was placed in a new Cawthron Trust Institute building for people to look at. The Cooke was replaced by a celestron 14 inch telescope.

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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.

 

A little ramble through 19th century astronomy - observatory broken into in 1887

 Wallington & Carshalton Herald Saturday 9^th July 1887

 

WANTON MISCHIEF ! A DISGRACE TO WALLINGTON.

 

To the Editor of The Herald

 

Sometime last night my Observatory was  broken into and the equatorial astronomical telescope mounted there was completely ruined, the object glass, good one by Wray, was stolen. and all the adjusting and clamping screws removed and taken away. 

These things, of course, have  little or no value in themselves apart from the instrument, but  without them the whole machine with all its lenses and accessories, which I kept  for greater safety in the house. is utterly useless. Such wanton mischief ought somehow to be exposed. 

I regret to say that this is not the first time I have had reason to complain, for hardly a month has passed during the year without some damage being done to the observatory itself; it is of very light structure. made of wood and covered with the Patent Willesden Card and has successfully stood the heavy  snow falls and storms of the past winter, but has not been proof against the sticks and stones which has frequently been sent through it. 

The observatory stands in but perhaps too near the footpath across the lavender field from which the  mischief has been done. 

I never expect that my loss can be replaced, it would be no easy matter to get the  missing parts, probably scattered in the lavender field re made, and a new instrument, even if I could afford to buy it, could never have the associations and interesting early study. 

But what can be said for this wanton spirit of destruction, which would have been counted a disgrace, even by the most uncivilised races of the world. 

However let the people of Wallington know what sort they have in their midst to deal with, and be on their guard, for what can be safe?

 

I am yours faithfully 

John  H Haslam 

Penden Wallington, July 5th

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Cooke Telescope Tales - telescope for Thomas Bazeley in 1867

 In July 1867 the polymath Thomas Bazeley purchased a 6 inch telescope from Thomas Cooke & Sons, the telescope cost £365 (today this would be over £45,000) . In 1877 Bazeley donated the telescope to Joseph Baxendell. 

Baxendell was a prolific variable star observer and in fact discovered around 20 new variable stars, including the nova T Corona Borealis in 1866, this would later become known as the Blaze Star because it went novae again in 1846. 

This 6 inch Cooke would allow him to continue his variable star work. Bazley also supplied the timber structure for the telescope. Baxendell renamed his house at 14, Liverpool Road, Birkdale, The Observatory.

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Cooke Telescope Tales - telescope orders for London

 Kilpatrick & Co, 2 Northampton Square, London  are listed as merchants, what is a little confusing is that at the same address is Peter Kilpatrick. I don’t know if he was related in any way he was a jeweller. He also had a branch in Melbourne, Australia.

The following instruments were ordered. 

20.01.1866  3.5 inch Telescope mounted on a tall tripod. with zonal and vertical motions

11.04.1867 Solar eyepiece, sliding wedge of dark glass

21.09.1867 4 inch Telescope mounted on tripod with zonal and vertical motions

20.11.1867 3.5 inch astronomical telescope, 4 feet 6 inch or 4 feet 9 inch length with finder and dew cap. No stand. 4 eyepieces. Adapted for viewing nebulae- to have wide field eyepiece mag x25.

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Cooke Telescope Tales - transit instrument for Bushy Heath in 1866

 On 16.11.1866, W U Jones, The Warren, Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire  ordered a first rate transit instrument . Later in 1867 he ordered equipment for his observatory including 4 friction wheels and tramway, 10 feet 4.5 inches inside diameter, wheels not more than 8 inches diameter.

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