Solar Physics Observatory in India with a Cooke Telescope

The Kodailkanal Solar Physics Observatory in southern India undertook much work studying the Sun. If possible it was photographed every day using the 6 inch Thomas Cooke &Sons telescope. On the same mounting is a small telescope used for projecting an 8 inch image on a chart on which can be marked the positions of the spots and faculae visible on the day of observation.

In a separate building was a Thomas Cooke & Sons 12 inch photovisual telescope. Which is fixed horizontally and is supplied with sunlight by an 18 inch siderostat. Between the siderostat mirror and the photovisual can be placed other object glasses, which can be used to form solar images for use with the large grating spectrograph, the collimator of which is fixed horizontally at right angles to the beam of light from the siderostat. The 12 inch Cooke forms an image of the Sun 60 mm in diameter on the split platen of the spectroheliograph.

The Astronomy Show Podcast 29th May 2023

 The Astronomy Show May 29th 2023 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0TtTL6Td6MAfMxutAsG9tS?si=WQ9M2HwTSVWy-L5d3YZfag

Cooke telescope for sale in India

Civil and Military Gazette (Lahore) Saturday 3^rd January 1891

For Sale, owner leaving India

An equatorial telescope of 6 inches aperture by T Cooke & Sons, York, driven by clockwork, with stellar and solar prisms and a lot of eyepieces.

Also the revolving roof or dome (16 feet in diameter) of sheet zinc on teak frame, covering the telescope.

H B Hederstedt

late chief engineer of the Oude and Rohilkund Railway, Lucknow

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 Astronomy show can be heard live on line at www.drystoneradio.com and can also be heard later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

A Cooke telescope in Calcutta

 In 1903 Thomas Cooke & Sons of York supplied a 4.5 inch telescope to the Government Observatory in Calcutta, India. The head of the observatory was Mr Evershed, Attached to the telescope was a 5 inch Camera also supplied by Cookes.

The telescope was mounted on a Cooke iron pillar which were housed in a shed. This shed was mounted on wheels and rails that allowed it to be moved when the telescope was to be used.

Comet Coggia seen with 25 inch Cooke telescope

 On July 12^th 1874 Robert Newall and Norman Lockyer observed comet Coggia using the Thomas Cooke & Sons 25 inch telescope. The observations were made at Newall’s observatory at Gateshead. 

The 25 inch was at the time the largest telescope in the world.

University of Toronto Observatory

 The University of Toronto’s David Dunlap observatory at Richmond Hill near Toronto, Canada today houses a 74 inch Grubb Parsons reflector that was installed in 1935. However there was a much older observatory in Toronto.

This was the Toronto Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory at the University of Toronto which housed a 6 inch Thomas Cooke & Sons telescope that was installed in 1880. The Cooke was used in particular for the study of sun spots in conjunction with magnetic measurements made at the observatory. I believe that the Cooke may have been used until around 1910.

A Temporary Observatory near Sydney

 Colonies and India Wednesday 21^st May 1890

A temporary observatory is about to be established near Sydney for the purpose of carrying on astronomic photographic work in connection with a chart of the heavens about to be prepared by an Astro-Photo Committee charged by the Conference which met in Paris in 1887. The arrangement of the details has been allotted in zones to 19 observatories in the order of their latitude. Under this arrangement Sydney takes from 34° S. to 42° S., and Melbourne from 70' S. to the South Pole.

H C Russell Sydney astronomer and Sydney observatory

758 Mancuria

758 Mancuria

On May 18^th 1912 Harry Edwin Wood who was chief assistant at the Union Observatory in South Africa discovered an asteroid, it was named Mancuria after the city in which he was born, Manchester. He would discover 12 asteroids between 1911-1932.

Mancuria is the Latin name for Manchester

Cooke mounting for Dollond telescope

 The Rev Frederick Howlett FRAS (1821-1908) purchased in 1865 a plain equatorial mounting from Thomas Cooke & Sons, it was made to carry either a 4 or 5 inch telescope. At the time that the mounting was ordered he was living at the St Augustone’s Parsonage , Hurst Green , Sussex.

Howlett used a 3 inch Dollond telescope, I am not sure when he purchased this telescope but it was before 1863. During the 1860s-1880s he used this small telescope to make extensive observations of sunspots.

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 Astronomy show can be heard live on line at www.drystoneradio.com and can also be heard later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

The 74 inch telescope at the 1951 Festival of Britain

 The 1951 festival of Britain a national exhibition that was visited by millions of people during the summer of 1951.

Among the many futuristic displays was the 74 inch telescope built by Grubb Parsons of Newcastle, after the festival it was sent to the Mount Stromlo Observatory in Australia where sadly it was destroyed by a bush fire during 2003.

The Leeds Observatory 1906

 Leeds Mercury Saturday 27^th January 1906

LEEDS OBSERVATORY

.

One of the old stone houses on the Woodhouse Moor Reservoir at the Grammar School side has been adapted for astronomical use and a large 18-inch reflector telescope has been placed in position there. This telescope is the gift of Major Duncombe, and is fitted with the customary mounting, range-finding, and clockwork appliances. In an adjoining room a transit instrument has been mounted, and this, like the telescope, is now almost completely adjusted for use. The dome of aluminium is moveable, and apertures may be opened to suit the convenience of the astronomer.

Comet Nicolett - Pons 1821 seen from Yorkshire

 Leeds Intelligencer Monday 5^th March 1821

The Comet. The new comet Observatory, Gosport, Feb. 24.

A comet made its appearance here last evening at 35 minutes past six o'clock, within two or three degrees of Algenib, the last star in the wing of Pegasus. It is 32 degrees to the east of the sun, and sets with Saturn soon after eight o'clock, about W. N. W. but is 18.5 degrees to the north of that planet. Its small light nucleus was surrounded by a diffused coma, three fourths of a degree in diameter by the sextant, and its perpendicular tail, was nearly 4 degrees in length when the coruscations were most vivid, through the upper part of which a small star of the sixth magnitude was perceived by the help of a telescope. This is unquestionably the same comet that Seigneur Pons, Astronomer of the Ductless of Lucca, discovered in the constellation Pegasus, in the evening of thee 21st ult., but which, to our knowledge, has not yet been seen by the English astronomers.

Leeds Intelligencer Monday 5^th March 1821

The new comet has been seen at Wakefield, and also at Bingley. Its nucleus is exceedingly brilliant; its tail, which is about four degrees in length, appears larger at the beginning than at the extremity. Its apparent motion is very slow; it has barely proceeded two degrees and a half in right ascension and declension from the 21st of January last, to the 22nd of Feb. It sets about eight o'clock in the evening. The most favourable time for seeing it is, therefore, from six to half-past seven o'clock. It is in the West and still in the constellation of Pegasus. We have not yet heard of its having been observed at Leeds.

Note

This was comet Nicolett-Pons (J N Nicolett Royal Observatory Paris and J L Pons Marlia Italy) was discovered on January 21^st 1821 near gamma Pegasus, it was at its brightest on March 6^th when it was reported at between magnitude 3 to 4.

The telescope in railway lost property

 Sheffield Daily Telegraph Saturday 16^th March 1867

Unclaimed Property on Railways

Among the curious things connected with the business of railways are the variety and strange character of the unclaimed property which falls in to the hands of the railways as carriers of passengers and goods.

One person has left a very superior astronomical telescope in mahogany case complete, and it is now unclaimed. Where is its owner and what has he been doing to render himself unconscious of the loss he has sustained? Or has he abandoned the study of astronomy for the more prosaic and common occupations of the earth?

Occultation of Saturn seen from Leeds in 1900

 Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer Friday 7^th September 1900

THE OCCULTATION OF SATURN.

To the Editor of The Yorkshire Post. Sir,—

This interesting phenomenon was seen here on Monday, 3rd inst. The disappearance took place at the dark east limb of the moon, and lasted about 80 seconds, the west part of the ring, then the planet, then the east part of ring, being successively hidden. The major axis outer ring measured about 40in. The moon, near meridian, had an altitude of some 15 deg, and was yellowish. Saturn appeared very pale, almost white, in comparison with the moon.

The times of beginning and ending were, approximately, 7h. 12m. 18s., and 71a 13m. 28S, so that the occultation hero occurred earlier than Greenwich, for which place 7h. 16m. was the predicted time for disappearance, and 8h. 11M for reappearance. The reappearance of the planet the moon’s bright west limb was entirely lost in cloud.

The telescope is a 3.25 inch refractor, and I observed with power of 105.—Yours, etc., C. T. WHITMELL, President Leeds Astronomical Society. Leeds. 6^th September.

The Blaze Star and Manchester

 The Manchester based astronomer Joseph Baxendell (1815-1887) who was a prolific observer of variable stars discovered one of the most famous nova, T Corona Borealis or as it became known as the ‘Blaze Star’.

I should mention that the star was also observed by the Iris astronomer John Birmingham.

The word nova comes from the Latin for new because in mediaeval times before the invention of the telescope when people saw these stars suddenly brighten up from nowhere they thought that they were stars being born.

A nova is a binary system with a white dwarf star and a larger cooler giant star. The white dwarf pulls gas from the larger star and this will eventually fall onto the surface of the white dwarf. The star then throws a shell of gas into space. A ‘new’ star suddenly appears then over a period of time fades from view.

On May 12^th 1866 he saw the star at magnitude 2.0, nova were not new they had been observed by astronomers before, this star was followed until it faded from view. However what made this star so famous was that it went nova again on February 9^th 1946. Although other stars had been observed to go through the nova process more than once, T Corona Borealis was by far the brightest, hence it’s name the ‘Blaze Star’.

Astronomers watching the star today wonder when it will next blaze forth and become a nova for a third time.

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 Astronomy show can be heard live on line at www.drystoneradio.com and can also be heard later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

Two Transits of Mercury and Two Cooke Telescopes

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun in our solar system and there will be times that it will pass in front of the Sun and can be seen as a small dot slowly moving across the face of the Sun. This is a Transit of Mercury, they occur on average 13 times per century, the last was in November 2019 the next will be in 2032.

Here is a little Rambling Astronomer Fact, two transits of Mercury separated by 46 years which occurred on the same date and were both seen using Cooke of York telescopes.

The transit of Mercury on May 7^th 1878 (it was May 6^th in the UK) was observed at 06 hours and 40 minutes as the Sun rose in Australia, with Mercury already half way across the surface of the Sun, this observation was made by W J MacDonnell at Sydney using a 4.25 inch Cooke telescope.

Then 46 years later in 1924 also on May 7^th A F Bennett this time using a 6 inch Cooke telescope started observing a Transit of Mercury from 16 hours and 57 minutes from his home in Suffolk.

Although he lived in Suffolk he was actually born in Goole East Yorkshire and was educated at Bramham College.

Thomas Cooke telescope at York Exhibition in 1881

 Yorkshire Gazette Saturday 7^th May 1881

York Exhibition

In the space intervening between the central and Great Halls, a large equatorial mounted telescope which stands 15 feet high is exhibited by Messrs T Cooke & Sons York opticians, the instrument which is an object of curiosity with an object glass of 10 inches.

The sale price is £1200 (my note; today that telescope would cost over £186,000

A York telescope for the Brussels Observatory

 Yorkshire Gazette Saturday 15^th May 1880

Messrs T Cooke & Sons, opticians of this city, had the honour some time ago of receiving an order from the Belgium Government for an equatorial mounting for a telescope with an object glass of 15 inches diameter, which is to be placed in the Royal Observatory Brussels.

The work has just been completed, and the instrument presents a fine specimen of mechanical art and skill. The tube about 21 feet in length, and the stand 13 feet high. The instrument is fitted with all the latest appliances, including clockwork of very delicate construction by which the telescope caused to follow the movement of the star on which it is fixed. The firm expect to pack and forward the instrument towards the end of the month.

York Herald Saturday 15^th May 1880

The telescope for the Belgium Government may be inspected by those whose who are interested.

Thomas Cooke, The Telephone and Phonograph

 York Herald Saturday 11^th May 1878

De Grey Rooms York

A Grand Military Concerts will be given the above rooms on Monday 13^th May 1878 in aid for the funds providing a clock with Westminster chimes and bells for the church of Holy Trinity, Heworth, York.

Messrs T Cooke and Sons will be exhibiting the Telephone during the interval of 15 minutes.

Messrs T Cooke and Sons, York will exhibit and give illustrations of the TELEPHONE and if possible they will also exhibit the latest wonder THE PHONOGRAPH

Thomas Cooke & Sons provide Hydraulic lifts for bank offices in York

 York Herald Wednesday 23^rd December 1874

The spacious new and enlarged bank offices for the York City and County Bank in Parliament Street, which have been in progress of erection during the last eighteen months, for the use of this company, will be opened to the public for business on Monday morning next. The present bank was erected in 1835.

Below there is ample strong room accommodation which is connected to the bank by means of ingenious hydraulic lifts, provided by Messrs T Cooke and Sons.

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 Astronomy show can be heard live on line at www.drystoneradio.com and can also be heard later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

A Cooke telescope in Canada

Dr J C Donaldson of Fergus, Ontario, Canada using a 3.5 inch Thomas Cooke telescope obtained a glimpse of the 9^th magnitude star in Cancer just before it was occulted by Jupiter on May 22^nd 1896.

Several other observers had attempted to watch the occultation in Canada many with much larger telescopes but were unsuccessful.

Observatory with Cooke telescope for sale in Liverpool in 1885

 Pall Mall Gazette Friday 2^nd January 1885

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY WITH TELESCOPE AND APPOINTMENTS COMPLETE.

To be SOLD, a bargain, on account of the owner's eyesight, an excellent Equatorial-mounted TELESCOPE by Cooke, 4.5 inch diam.; Dawe's solar and numerous other eyepieces, micrometer, induction coil and battery, automatic and star spectroscopes, spark condenser, clock by Cooke, barometer 7-10 diam., observing chair, complete sets of the memoirs and monthly notice's of the R.A.S., Astronomical Register and Observatory, with indexes, and a number of other astronautical works, all in the best possible condition. The above presents a very rate opportunity to astronomical students

Address "Telescope," care of Lee and Nightingale, Advertising Agents, Liverpool.

The comet of 1882 seen with a Cooke telescope from Fleetwood

 Preston Chronicle Saturday 20^th May 1882

The Comet -We learn that a distinct and brilliant view of the latest addition to the solar system the new comet, bas been obtained by the Rev. .James Pearson, M.A, vicar of Fleetwood, by the aid of his four-inch equatorial (Cooke), from positions given in the Dunecht Ephemeris for May 10th. The tail was sufficiently long to traverse the field of the instrument, but it is still only visible in a telescope like that named.

The Sunderland Scientific and Industrial Exhibition

 Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette Friday 17^th February 1882

The exhibition will be held at the Skating Rink Hudson Road and included Mr John G Allison of the Old Rectory Monkwearmouth, who exhibited a portable telescope which will be found worthy of our astronomical students.

The object glass in 4 inches in diameter and 5 feet focal length withy polished brass tube and finder attached. It has 4 eyepieces powers from 80 to 300 and is fixed on a strong polished walnut tripod stand.

I believe this the telescope purchased by John G Allison in 1866 from Thomas Cooke and Sons when Mr Allison was living at 12 Cumberland Row Newcastle.

An advert from Liverpool for the sale of a Thomas Cooke telescope

 

From the Liverpool Daily Post Thursday 5^th August 1875 Second hand astronomical telescope for sale by the late Mr Cooke of York- G S Wood (late Abraham & Co) Opticians 20 Lord Street Liverpool.

My note

In 1864 Abraham & Co had ordered a plain equatorial mounting on tripod for a 4.5 inch tube.

The Flower Moon

 The Full Moon in May which this year will be on May 5th is called the Flower Moon. The flowers in the fields and in the gardens are now becoming abundant for everyone to see.

Cooke telescope for sale in Leeds in 1879

An advertisement from the Leeds Mercury, Thursday 13^th March 1879, A Splendid Telescope for Sale by Cooke of York, object glass 4.5 inches diameter; equatorial bearings, micrometer &c, in large circular house with moveable top. Apply Anthony Robinson 27 Upperhead- row, Leeds

Mr Dansken and his Patrickhill Cooke telescope

John Dansken who was born in Glasgow in 1836 was by profession a surveyor and an enthusiastic amateur astronomer who built an observatory at his home in Patrickhill, Glasgow which included a 5 inch telescope by Thomas Cooke of York, there was also a larger 13 inch reflector made by D Hunter of Lanark.

A number of smaller instruments were also housed there including telescopes by Wray and Dollond. He also had one of the finest astronomical libraries in the West of Scotland. John Dansken died in 1905.

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 Astronomy show can be heard live on line at www.drystoneradio.com and can also be heard later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

A Cooke telescope in the Coats Observatory

 At the 1880 Annual meeting of the Paisley Philosophical Institution, it was proposed that the society should purchase an astronomical telescope. Mr Thomas Coats of Ferguslie, then a member of the council with advice from Professor Grant at Glasgow University a 5 inch telescope by Cooke of York was obtained.

Mr Coats provided an observatory with a sum of £2,000. This Coats Observatory would become the oldest public observatory in Scotland. On the 10^th September 1883 the observatory was opened to members of the philosophical society and was then opened to the public from Monday 1^st October 1883.

Mr Donald McLean one of Professor Grant’s assistants was appointed first curator. Between 1892-1898 additional equipment including a 10 inch telescope by Grubb of Dublin would be added.

The Cooke telescope would be used throughout the 19^th and 20^th century in order to promote astronomy. In 1963 the running of the observatory passed from the Paisley Philosophical Society to that of the town council. This placed the observatory under the museum and galleries committee.

At present the Coats observatory is closed and is due to reopen in 2023 as part of the Paisley Museum Re imagined project.