A little ramble through 19th century astronomy - European observatories in 1874

 Nature, October 8th 1874

France, Germany and Austria are vying with each other in astronomical activity. In the grounds of the Paris Observatory a 4-foot Foucault mirror is being erected and M. Le Verrier has already obtained a grant for a 30 inch refractor.

The Vienna Observatory is also making arrangements for the reception of a telescope of similar aperture. Messrs Merz have nearly completed a lens of 20 inches aperture, for the university of Strassburg.

In France, the newly created Ecole Speciale des Hautes Etudes is being taken advantage of to form a school of astronomy; in Germany and America many such schools already exist, thanks to the rational administration of their observatories, the assistants in which are the pupils, friends and potential successors of the director.

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Cooke Telescope Tales - astrophotography in Newcastle in 1890

In 1890 Lawrence Richardson of Newcastle on Tyne using a 4.5 inch Thomas Cooke & Sons telescope undertook some research into astronomical photography using his telescope which was an achromatic.  He was not that hopeful of getting really sharp images, the Cooke & Sons photo visual telescope would not be available until he mid 1890s. 

Richardson found that he could take a photograph of Orion which would show hundreds of stars and which would take around about an hour. He went on to say that he thought that astrophotography was a very good field for amateur astronomers to work in and obtain good results.

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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 - Mars in 1877

 Academy, Saturday 18^th December 1875

The Opposition of Mars, 1877.—The Astronomer Royal has given a chart of the path of Mars in 1877, with neighbouring stars down to the ninth magnitude taken from Bessel's Zones, the object being to facilitate observations of the parallax of Mars in this important opposition, when the planet approaches more closely than usual to the earth, owing to the position of its eccentric orbit.

 Although it is hoped that the sun’s parallax will be determined with considerable accuracy by the late transit of Venus, astronomers cannot afford to throw away the opportunity which the planet Mars offers of getting an independent, and possibly equally trustworthy, determination, more especially when it is remembered how important a part the observations of Mars in 1861 (the last opposition which was favourable for this purpose ) played in correcting the results obtained from the transit of Venus in 1769, For observations of Mars no special expeditions will be necessary, all that is required being to measure the apparent distances of the planet from neighbouring pairs of stars at northern and southern Observatories, and also at the same Observatory, when the planet is rising and when it is setting. The latter class of observation enables an observer to determine the sun’s distance by measures made entirely at his own Observatory, the rotation of the earth providing him with a base line from east to west.

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Cooke Telescope Tales - in 1865 even a Cooke telescope could not see through trees

 Mt T H Waller of York in 1865 and using a 4.75 inch Cooke telescope was trying to observe the satellites of Jupiter when unfortunately, the planet was obscured by some trees, and he was unable to see the immersion of the second satellite or the transit of the third. Fortunately, by the time that the fourth satellite was passing in front of Jupiter it had cleared the trees. 

Mr Waller was also a very keen double star observer he would often use the double star catalogue of Mr Brothers of Manchester and the Bedford Catalogue.

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A little ramble through 19th century astronomy - possible solar observatory for Potsdam in 1874

 Nature, September 17^th 1874

The German Government has determined upon the erection of a Sun Observatory upon a large scale at Potsdam. Drs Spoerer and Vogel have already been appointed to undertake telescopic and spectroscopic observations, and the directorship has been offered to Prof Kirchhoff, who however has declined it as he is unwilling to leave Heidelberg.

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Cooke Telescope Tales - Saturn observed from Sunderland in 1890

 Dr J Haswell, Grange Terrace, Sunderland in 1890 

Observed the spot on Saturn that had been seen by Dr Terby in March 1890. He saw the spot on several  nights in March , and he described it as being very obvious on March 30^th, though not so noticeable as it had been last spring. 

Haswell used a 4.25 inch Thomas Cooke & Sons telescope which was of short focal length

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