A Cooke telescope for Cambridge in 1866

 In 1866 Rev Henry Boys of Jesus College, Cambridge purchased from Thomas Cooke & Sons, a telescope with a lens which I believe had a diameter of 4.5 inches. The telescope came with a leather case and was being given as a prize.

The instrument came with 6 eyepieces, prism, dark glasses, micrometer &c, divisions on glass, a clip to fix to window sill.

About all I know regarding The Rev Boys is that he died in 1870, he had become a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1866 but there is no mention of him in the obituaries.

A Cooke Telescope for Rotherham

 In South Yorkshire, Jonathan Booth of Moorgate, Rotherham purchased a 4 inch educational telescope on a mounting with latitude adjustment. This telescope was purchased from Thomas Cooke & Sons in 1865.

As is often the case I unfortunately have no other information on Jonathan Booth or if he made an astronomical observations with this telescope.

Two Thomas Cooke Telescopes and a Murder?

This is the story of the man who brought 2 Cooke telescopes, changed his name and was possibly murdered.

Henry John Tuberville who was formerly known as Henry John Blackmore was something of an eccentric with a taste for science and in particular astronomy. He was the elder brother of Richard Doddridge Blackmore who wrote ‘Lorna Doone’

As Henry Blackmore in April 1865 he brought a 4.5 inch educational telescope from Thomas Cooke & Sons and in October 1866 as Henry Tuberville he brought a 5.5 inch telescope with a finder, 6 eyepieces, sun prism on an equatorial mounting, strong but as light as possible, on a stout polished mahogany stand. With both telescopes his address was the village of Pilton near Barnstable in Devon.

He changed his name in 1865 it appears due to some family issues, Tuberville was a Catholic family name and he appears to have changed his name with the aim of offending his Church of England relatives.

I cannot find as yet any evidence of any astronomical observations he made or whether he was a member of any astronomical societies in Devon. I also have no idea what happened to his two Cooke telescopes.

Henry Blackmore was born in Berkshire in 1824, his father John Blackmore would become the vicar of Ashford near Barnstable in Devon. In 1857 he inherited some money after an uncle died, and by the time of his death had amassed a fortune of £20,000 which today is worth £2.4 million.

In 1875 when he was 51 Henry Tuberville started to visit Yeovil in Somerset where he became engaged to Elizabeth Maggs who was 23 and the daughter of a chemist Thomas Maggs, he had made several wills the last in 1875 he left everything to Thomas Maggs and his family. There were not surprisingly many objections to the will.

He was taken poorly on August 16^th 1875 and as he was a chemist Thomas Maggs was called in to see him, he apparently had a great pain in his leg, the following day he died. The physician Dr. Allridge stated that Tuberville had taken potassium cyanide, although it was never decided how he hot this poison. In the end a jury decided that in a state of unsound mind Tuberville had taken the potassium cyanide.

His brother Richard, believed that Henry had been murdered and tried to get the inquest re opened in this he failed. The mystery is still there today did he commit suicide or was he murdered?

John Couch Adams and a Thomas Cooke & Sons telescope stand

Thomas Cooke & Sons of York had a very interesting number of celebrated and famous customers. In 1859 John Couch Adams of the discovery of Neptune fame ordered a universal portable equatorial stand of best construction to carry a telescope of 3.5 inch aperture.

As far as I know the telescope was not made by Thomas Cooke, but I do not have any further information regarding this telescope. Maybe if he had it in 1846 he could have looked for the planet we now call Neptune!!

Christmas Accident at Cooke Works

 On December 28^th 1866 the son of Mr W Tindall printer of Fulford Road, York an apprentice with Messrs Cooke and Sons Opticians, of this city, lost his right thumb which was taken completely off by a portion of the machinery whilst he was engaged in his ordinary occupation.

The Astronomy Show

 Join me, Martin Lunn tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show, 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 A-Z of Constellations and Astronomy in Yorkshire - God’s Own Country.

The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio 102 and 103.5 FM the show can be heard live on line at www.drystoneradio.com and the show can be heard later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

First Phonograph in York displayed by T Cooke & Sons in 1878

At this time of year Christmas music is being played everywhere on CDs records and streaming but the first phonograph or record player as it would become known was not invented until 1877 by Thomas Edison.

The following year on the 17^th December 1878 the first phonograph to be seen in York was exhibited at the Kenrick Rooms, Spen Lane in York by Messrs T Cooke and Sons. Permission had been obtained by Cooke and Sons from the London Stereoscopic Company who had purchased the British patent from Mr Thomas Edison the inventor.

The phonograph was explained by Mr Cox-Walker of Cooke and Sons. Briefly the phonograph consists of a brass cylinder, around which turns a spiral grove. The operator speaks into a mouthpiece upon a thin diaphragm, exactly like a telephone, to which a metal point is attached. The cylinder is covered with tin foil, and the point being in connection, and the handle turned while the operator is speaking, the point runs in the groove and makes a number of indentations in the tin foil corresponding to the vibrations of the diaphragm caused by the voice. On turning the reverse way the sounds are reproduced, the indentations in the tin foil, acting upon the metal point, causing the diaphragm to vibrate and communicate its motion to the air.

The singing is very distinct but the reproduced words of a speaker are somewhat thick, though the result is marvellous in the extreme. Two instruments were exhibited, one working by clock work and the other by hand. By the former the tone is reproduced more correctly, owing to the greater regularity in the turning of the instrument.

A Cooke Telescope in Midlothian

 Thomas Bauchope 1823-1889 was born at Brucefield in Midlothian, he succeeded his father as factor or property manager on several estates in Midlothian. His main leisure interest was in the sciences and in particular astronomy.

He had an observatory in his garden with a 4 inch Cooke telescope. His telescope is listed as a Cooke rather than a Cooke and Sons which suggests that the telescope is a pre 1857 model. He contributed a series of articles on astronomy to a local paper. He was known to try to encourage working class people to take an interest in either astronomy or another science.

Thomas Bauchope died on December 8^th 1889 and his telescope was offered for sale at £70 which at today’s price that would be over £9,000.

Geminids 2022

 It was cold last night (Dec 13th) but I managed to last for an hour watching the Geminids.  I saw 18 between 22.14 and 22.17.

The fairly bright waxing moon did not help and I am sure it would have affected seeing conditions much more the higher it got in the sky. It was the cold that did it for me. When I started the temperature was -6.8'C and when I finished it was -7.5'C. I live between Skipton and Colne the Lancashire/Yorkshire border.

Alas as I get older I am not able to stay out in the cold air for as long as I could when I was younger. In those days I would have spent the whole night watching the Geminids despite  the cold. 

But at least I gave it a go!!

Sir William Keith Murray and the 9 inch Cooke Telescope

 On December 11^th 1858 Sir William Keith Murray (1801-1861) of Ochertyre near Crieff in Scotland purchased a 9 inch telescope from Thomas Cooke of York. The telescope was massive and had a tube that was 13 feet long and was mounted on a stone pier 9 feet and 3 inches tall. Up until this point in time it was the largest telescope that Cooke had constructed and it was also at the time the largest refractor in Scotland.

The weather conditions were often poor at the location of the observatory and Murray was only able to use the Cooke for a short period before his death in 1861. Following his death the telescope was offered for sale unfortunately with no initial interest.

In 1863 a number of gentlemen raised £1,120 ( today this would be £166,300) to purchase the telescope for the observatory at Glasgow University. It was sited at the Horselethill Observatory and used there until 1939 when the building was demolished. The 9 inch was always referred to as the 9 inch Ochertyre Telescope.

Following the demolition of the Horselethill Observatory a new student observatory was built in the University Gardens to house the 9 in Cooke. This was closed in 1969 after which I don’t know what happened to the 9 inch Cooke Ochtertyre Telescope.

The Astronomy Show

Join me, Martin Lunn tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show, 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 A-Z of Constellations and Astronomy in Yorkshire - God’s Own Country.

The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio 102 and 103.5 FM the show can be heard live on line at www.drystoneradio.com and the show can be heard later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

Wold Cottage Meteorite December 13th 1795

 This is the oldest known British meteorite in ‘captivity’ in a museum. It would prompt the first full scale investigation into meteorites.

The meteorite fell at around 3.00 o’clock on December 13^th 1795 in a field near the Wold Cottage in the East Riding of Yorkshire on land which was owned by Major Edward Topham. The fall was observed by several people and landed a few yards from ploughman John Shipley.

A sound like gunfire was heard by people who thought that French warships were bombarding Bridlington. Britain was at war with France at the time. People described seeing a dark object passing through the air.

The meteorite weighed about 56pounds (25kg) and made a hole 19 inches deep passing through 12 inches of top soil and 7 inches of chalk. The meteorite is a L6 chondrite the second most common type of meteorite. It is what astronomers call a stone meteorite although about 25% of the meteorite will still be made of iron.

Topham erected a plinth in 1799 to mark the site of the meteorite fall, he didn’t keep the meteorite. In 1804 he sold it to James Sowerby for 10 guineas or £10.50 in today’s money. That £10.50 today is worth around £1,333. In 1837 Sowerby sold the meteorite to the British Museum for £250. A substantial amount in its day which would be worth £31,110.

The plinth says On this spot December 13^th 1795 fell from the atmosphere and extraordinary stone. In breadth 28 inches, In length 30 inches which weighed 56 pounds.

This column in memory of it was erected by Edward Topham 1799

Only 20.6 of the 25 kg made it to the British Museum to be part of their collection. The remainder is believed to have been broken off and given away prior to acquisition.

Geminid meteors seen from Huddersfield in 1901

 Mr C L Brook from Meltham near Huddersfield saw 19 meteors on the 11^th December 1901 of which 11 were Geminids. On the following night December 12th he saw a further 25 meteors which  included 17 Geminids. There were no further reports from Mr Brook for the Geminids for 1901 .

Asteroid 1899 FD discovered at Lick Observatory with 36 inch Crossley telescope

The Asteroid 1899 or 452 Hamiltonia was discovered by James Keeler using the 36 inch Crossley Reflector at Lick Observatory on December 6^th 1899. The asteroid is named for Mount Hamilton where Keeler was working and where the Lick Observatory is located. 1899 FD was the last asteroid discovered in the 19^th century.

The 36 inch reflector had been owned by Edward Crossley of Halifax, Yorkshire who owned Crossley Carpets the largest carpet manufacturer in the world in the 19^th century. He purchased it in the 1880s from A. A. Common of Ealing, London. Although it was at the time the largest reflector in England due to the poor observing conditions in the skies over Halifax which was due to the pollution from the many factories in Halifax it was impossible to use the telescope to its best.

In the mid 1890s he donated the telescope to the new Lick Observatory in California. During the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries the Crossley reflector at Lick proved to be a real trail blazing telescope leading in astronomical research in many different areas. It was also the largest reflector in America until the building of the 100 inch telescope at Mount Hamilton.

The 1908 Eclipse of the Moon seen from Manchester

 On Monday 7^th December 1908 a penumbral eclipse of the Moon was seen from Manchester. A penumbral eclipse differs from the total lunar eclipse in that the Moon passes into the penumbra or secondary shadow of the Earth, without coming into contact with the deeper cone.

The eclipse on December 7^th was fairly well observed from the point of vantage of the Godlee Observatory in Manchester, this was thanks to the absence of the astronomer's ‘bete noir’ -the fog. 

The first contact was due at 7.53 pm and the last at 12.12 am. The middle of the eclipse was registered at 9.55 pm at which the Moon was only 100^th part of its diameter away from the main shadow.

W H Maw and two Cooke Telescopes

 William Henry Maw (1836 – 1924) was born in Scarborough on December 6^th 1836, when he was growing up he was friends with the sons of Dr Harland, two who would become the founders of the Harland & Wolf ship builders. Both his parents died when he was in his teens, without influences and an advantage of a higher education he was still able to raise himself to become a leading authority in the fields of mechanics and engineering.

His leisure time was however devoted to astronomy. In Kensington, London in 1887 he built an observatory for his 6 inch Cooke telescope which he used to study the Moon.

 Later from 1897 when he lived in Surrey he built an observatory for a larger 8 inch Cooke telescope. This had originally been owned by the Rev R W Dawes and would later be located at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge and known as the Thorrowgood Telescope.

W H Maw made extensive observations of double stars using both Cooke telescopes. In particular the double stars from the Struve catalogue. His observations were considered to be very accurate. Maw was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and one of the founders of the British Astronomical Society.

The Astronomy Show

Join me, Martin Lunn tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show, 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 A-Z of Constellations and Astronomy in Yorkshire - God’s Own Country.

The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio 102 and 103.5 FM the show can be heard live on line at www.drystoneradio.com and the show can be heard later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

Asteroid 718 Erida discovered at Lick Observatory using the 36 inch Crossley telecope

On December 3rd 1910 Dr Curtiss and Miss Young using the 36 inch Crossley telescope discovered the asteroid 718 Erida. Dr Curtiss took the photograph and it was then discovered by Miss Young checking the photograph. The asteroid has a diameter of about 70 km, with an orbital period of 5.3 years.

The 36 inch reflector had been owned by Edward Crossley of Halifax, Yorkshire who owned Crossley Carpets the largest carpet manufacturer in the world in the 19^th century. He purchased it in the 1880s from A. A. Common of Ealing, London. 

Although it was at the time the largest reflector in England due to the poor observing conditions in the skies over Halifax which was due to the pollution from the many factories in Halifax it was impossible to use the telescope to its best.

In the mid 1890s he donated the telescope to the new Lick Observatory in California. During the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries the Crossley reflector at Lick proved to be a real trail blazing telescope leading in astronomical research in many different areas. It was also the largest reflector in America until the building of the 100 inch telescope at Mount Hamilton.

The 36 inch Crossley telescope, Lick Observatory and Jupiter's moon Himalia

 On December 3^rd 1904 Charles Perrine using the 36 inch Crossley reflector at the Lick Observatory in California discovered the 6^th moon of Jupiter, Himalia. The moon was named after a nymph on the island of Rhodes and according to Greek mythology she was one of the lovers of Zeus.

Himalia is the 5^th largest moon of Jupiter it has a radius of 85 km and lies at a distance of 11.5 million km for Jupiter and takes 251 Earth days to complete one orbit of Jupiter.

The 36 inch reflector had been owned by Edward Crossley of Halifax, Yorkshire who owned Crossley Carpets the largest carpet manufacturer in the world in the 19^th century. He purchased it in the 1880s from A. A. Common of Ealing, London. Although it was at the time the largest reflector in England due to the poor observing conditions in the skies over Halifax which was due to the pollution from the many factories in Halifax it was impossible to use the telescope to its best.

In the mid 1890s he donated the telescope to the new Lick Observatory in California. During the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries the Crossley reflector at Lick proved to be a real trail blazing telescope leading in astronomical research in many different areas. It was also the largest reflector in America until the building of the 100 inch telescope at Mount Hamilton.

Observations of Jupiter by Mr Ormesher in Manchester in 1870

 Mr Henry Ormesher in Manchester using his 5.25 inch refractor witnessed several eclipses of Jupiter’s satellites between November 22^nd and December 6^th 1870. 

In addition between November 30^th and December 6^th 1870 he observed two dusky spots on the disk of |Jupiter again using his 5.25 inch telescope. I don't know the maker of his telescope.