John Joynson, Liverpool observes occultation using a Cooke

 On March 28^th 1868 Mr John Joynson (1820-1895) of Waterloo near Liverpool observed an occultation of the star gamma Taurus by the Moon. The star 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.