Astronomy in Yorkshire # 5 March 31st 1844 Astronomy Lecture at the Yorkshire Museum

Astronomy in Yorkshire # 5 March 31st 1844 Astronomy Lecture at the Yorkshire Museum

According to the local newspapers:-

Mr W L Newman esq one of the curators of the Yorkshire Philiosophical Society delievered a lecture on Ancient Astronomy, the first of a series of astronomy talks presented in the theatre of the society's mueum.

The images were shown by means of an oxyhydrogen microscope operated and constructed by Mr Cooke the optician of the city.

William Newman was the first curator of the York Observatory in 1840, and Mr Cooke is of course Thomas Cooke the telescope maker.

A oxyhydrogen microscope is a form of microscope arranged so as to use the light produced by burning lime or limestone by either pumping it from a container or under a current of oxyhydrogen gas.

I assume today this would fail just about every health and safety rule there is, and of course by producing limelight is a term that would be used in the theatrical world i.e. stepping into the limelight.

Not showing an astronomical image!!

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Astronomy in the North West # 2 March 29th 1902 Meteor seen over Manchester

Astronomy in the North West # 2 March 29th 1902 Meteor seen over Manchester

On March 29th 1902, Mr J. Halton of Manchester saw a meteor brighter than Sirius shooting across the sky towards the head of Serpens.

Astronomy in Yorkshire #4 March 30th 1868 Edward Crossley and Linne Crater

Astronomy in Yorkshire #4 March 30th 1868 Edward Crossley and Linne Crater

In the 19th century there was a major argument among astronomers that there had been changes observed in a crater on the Moon called the Linne Crater. Today we know that no major  changes have happened to the crater in modern times. Here is just one of the many astronomers who looked at the Linne Crater.

Edward Crossley whose family owned Crossley carpets in Halifax was also a very keen amateur astronomer and on March 30th 1868.

Crossley viewed Linne with his 9.3 inch Thomes Cooke telescope. He could see it as a small crater in the Mare Serenitatis, or Sea of Serenity, in the middle ages when astronomers without telescopes drew pictures of the Moon they thought the dark areas were seas, after all we have seas on Earth, the language they used was Latin. There are no real seas on the Moon but we still use these old names.

Crossley thought it was about 1 mile wide appeared circular but had badly defined edges. He had observed this crater in October 1867 and there appeared to be no changes.

The Crossley 9.3 inch Cooke 

Astronomy in the North West # 1 March 28th 1868 John Joynson Liverpool observes occulation of gamma tauri

Astronomy in the North West # 1 March 28th 1868 John Joynson, Liverpool observes occulation of gamma Tauri

 This is the first of a series of astronomical articles that involve the North West. It could be looking at famous astronomers born in the North West, astronomical discoveries made in the North West, astronomical events seen around the world either by people from the North West or by astronomers using equipment made in the North West and of course events seen in the sky over the North West..

It will not all be all historical because I will keep people up to date with all the latest news of what can be seen in the night sky.

On March 28^th 1868 Mr John Joynson (1820-1895) of Waterloo near Liverpool observed an occultation of the star gamma Tauri by the Moon, in the constellation of Taurus the Bull. The star gamma Tauri disappeared at 9 hours 02 minutes 48.5 seconds and reappeared at 9 hours 58 minutes and 04 seconds according to Greenwich Time. Joynson was using a 3.5 inch telescope made by the York based telescope maker Thomas Cooke.

An occultation occurs when a body such as the Moon or a planet passes in front of a star, sometimes the Moon passes in front of a planet and very rarely a planet will pass in front of another planet.

Joynson also had 6 inch Cooke telescope that he brought in 1863, in 1930 after Joynson’s death the 6 in Cooke was given to the University of London Mill Hill Observatory which had been opened in 1929. The Joynson telescope was used extensively particularly between 1982 and 1997 when their 8 inch Cooke was being restored. The |Joynson telescope is now in store.

Joynson 6 inch Cooke

Astronomy in Yorkshire # 3 March 28th 1851 Thomas Cooke makes first 7 inch Telescope

Astronomy in Yorkshire # 3 March 28th 1851 Thomas Cooke makes first 7 inch (18.4 cm)Telescope

It was Hugh Pattinson (1796-1858) who purchased a 7.25 inch (18.4 cm) telescope from Thomas Cooke of York. This was the largest telescope that Cooke had made until that date. It was made at his Coney Street workshop in York. The telescope was 10 feet 4 inches (3.15 m) long and weighed 10 cwt (508Kg).

Pattinson was born in Alston, Cumberland but he made his fortune  when he moved to the north east and set up the chemical works at Felling and Washington near Newcastle on Tyne, He discovered a process called the Pattinson process whereby it was possible to extract silver from lead.

Although a chemist Pattinson had a great interest in astronomy and the 7.25 inch Cooke telescope was set up in an observatory at his home Scots House. The telescope would be lent to Prof Charles Piazzi Smythe for his scientific expedition to Teneriffe. Pattinson took a very keen interest in photography.

7.25 inch Cooke Telescope

Astronomy in Yorkshire #2 March 23rd 1779 Edward Pigott discovers the Black Eye Galaxy

23^rd March 1779 Edward Piigott Discovered M64 The Black Eye Galaxy

Edward Pigott although not a Yorkshireman (But then neither am I) worked very closely with John Goodricke in York between 1781-1786 on what today astronomers call variable stars, these are star that change in brightness over a period of time, there work was so important that when I worked in York I called them the ‘Fathers of Variable Star Astronomy’ a term which seems to still be used today.

Before he moved to York he was living in South Wales, it was here that Pigott discovered what he called a nebula in the constellation of of Coma Berenices on March 23^rd 1779.

What he could not know was that it was not a nebula but a galaxy around 17 million light years away. This galaxy is called the Black Eye Galaxy because there is a lot of dust close to the bright central part giving the impression of a black eye.

M64 The Black Eye Galaxy

Around the time of his discovery a French astronomer named Charles Messier was searching for comets but he kept coming across lots of fuzzy objects in the sky which he confused for comets, so he drew up a list of non comet objects to remind him that these objects were not comets. This is the Messier list which is still used by astronomers today and when he came across Piggot’s nebula in 1780 he gave it the designation of M64.

M64 is not bright enough to be seen with the naked eye you will need a telescope to see it.

Astronomy in Yorkshire #1 March 22nd 1868 Alfred Fowler born at Wilsden

This is the first of a series of astronomical articles that involve Yorkshire. It could be looking at famous astronomers born in Yorkshire, astronomical discoveries made in Yorkshire, astronomical events seen around the world either by Yorkshire people or by astronomers using equipment made in Yorkshire and of course events seen in the sky over Yorkshire.

It will not all be all historical because I will keep people up to date with all the latest news of what can be seen in the night sky.

Alfred Fowler was born on March 22^nd 1868 at Wilsden on the outskirts of Bradford and would become one of the most important astronomers of the first half of the 20^th century. His work in the field of spectroscopy would lay the basis of modern physical astronomy.

Alfred Fowler 1868-1940

He was educated at the Keighley Trade and Grammar School and at the age of 14 he obtained a scholarship to the Old Normal School of Science, now known as Imperial College, South Kensington in London. Being of a sturdy Yorkshire character Fowler was not to be ruffled by all that would happen around him.

In 1888 at the age of 20 he was working as a demonstrator in astronomical physics, among the people he worked with was a Mr H G Wells, and although Wells was not able to pass all his exams his career took another course in writing, his astronomical knowledge was useful in the ‘War of the Worlds’

Fowler soon found himself working under Professor Norman Lockyer one of the most important astronomers studying the Sun in the later part of the 19^th century. When Lockyer retired in 1901 he took most of the astronomical equipment with him so although Alfred Fowler was appointed Assistant Professor of Physics he had very little equipment to work with. This did not cause Fowler too many problems he started working with spectroscopes which can split white light into the colours of the spectrum.

He developed a great interest in eclipses of the Sun, the eclipses of 1896 and 1905 were affected by bad weather but those at West Africa in 1893 and India in 1898 were more successful and he was able to examine the spectrum of the Sun during the eclipse. The eclipse of 1914 in Russia could not be reached due the start of World War 1.

Eclipse of the Sun India 1898

By his services to science not only in the field of research but also teaching he received many awards including in 1915 the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, in 1918 the Medal of the Royal Society, the Henry Draper Medal from the National Academy of Sciences, and in 1935 he was awarded a CBE.

In 1919 he would become the first General Secretary of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) an association of professional astronomers active in research and teaching. The IAU still todaythe body that represents professional astronomers.

Alfred Fowler died on June 24^th 1940 in Ealing, London, He was a most remarkable man from Wilsden, of whom little is known, this is partly due to his modest kindly demeanour and the quiet way in which he would speak of his most important discoveries.