Occultation of Mars seen with a Cooke telescope in 1929

 Occultation by Mars of BD +24’ 1659 bf A F Bennett April 21^st 1929 using a 6 inch Thomas Cooke and Sons Telescope

The observation was made from Leiston in Suffolk under good sky conditions. A bar had been fixed at the focus of the eyepiece, a Zeiss orthoscopic being used and giving a magnification of 240 on the 6 inch Cooke.

The star presented a minute sharp image, which without taking advantage of the bar to reduce the glare from Mars could be kept clearly in view until it had approached to within about 10” distance of the latter.

The star was held unmistakeably under observation until 20 h 39m 11s, when it could no longer be seen. The bar was now shifted so s to show the extreme edge of the Western limb of Mars, an the star was first glimpsed again, on reappearance at 20h and 50 min. The mean of these times gives 20h 45m for mid occultation.

The Zodiacal Light

    If you have a very good horizon in the west where the Sun sets we are approaching the time       of the year when it might be possible to see the Zodiacal Light. The sky does have to be very      dark and clear.

     The zodiacal light is a cone of eerie light that can be seen in the sky just after the evening twilight ends in the spring, or before it begins at dawn in the autumn. These are periods during the year close to the equinoxes where the period of daylight and night-time are equal.

    The best time to look for the zodiacal light this year will be the first two weeks in March. Although the spring equinox is not until March 20^th the Moon will be nearly full making the sky too bright.

    People used to think zodiacal light originated somehow from phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

    However today we know that the zodiacal light is produced as sunlight is reflected off dust grains that circle the sun in the inner solar system. These grains were once thought to be left over from the process that created our Earth and the other planets of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago.

    Today some astronomers believe that the grains of dust may have been blown into space during massive dust storm from the planet Mars.

The Astronomy Show

 Join me, Martin Lunn MBE 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.

The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio live on line 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.

Aurora seen over Liverpool in 1872

On November 10^th 1872 Samuel Barber observed aurora over Liverpool at 11.20 pm. He described it was of the usual form, ruddy and radiating from a horizontal band of light in the north.

It was followed by a week of much colder weather than had preceded it.

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Meteor over Blackpool in 1872

 On November 6^th 1872, D.Winstanley whilst looking over the sea a few minutes before 10.00 o’clock saw a meteor of large size. It was accompanied by a short scintillating train and moved slowly quite parallel with the horizon directly north. Its elevation was about 15 degrees and its rate of motion was about 1.5 degrees per second. The night was dark and somewhat cloudy, and the line described by the meteor was seemingly quite straight.

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Moon passing close to Regulus on February 23rd

 The Moon will pass very close to the bright star Regulus on the night of 23^rd February.

Regulus, Arabic for the ‘Heart of the Lion’, is the brightest star in the constellation of Leo the Lion. Leo looks like a giant backwards question mark in the spring sky. In Harry Potter, Regulus Arcturus Black was the younger brother of Sirius Black.

Regulus was one of the four Persian Royal Stars, the others being Aldebaran, Antares and Fomalhaut.

The green line in the image shows the path that the Sun follows across the sky.

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Jodrell Bank and Zimenki radio observatories begin joint work in 1964

 On February 21^st 1964 the first exchange of signals between Jodrell Bank and Zimenki observatories is made using the Echo 2 satellite. The test opens a series of joint US/UK/USSR communication experiments for later in the year.

The observatory which was built in 1947 was located in the village of Zimenki around 20 miles from the city of Nizhny Novgorod which lies to the east of Moscow. The observatory is derelict today. It was part of the Radiophysical Research Institute.

The Zemenki observatory was used for research including solar flares, radio monitoring of solar activity and observations of the ionosphere.

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Satellite to enter Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday, bur experts are not sure where it will land

 An uncontrolled 2,200kg (5,000lb) space craft will enter the Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday 21^st February at around 11.15 GMT however there is a 15 hour window of uncertainty. This space craft is not Chinese it’s European.

The uncertainties of when and where The European Remote Sensing 2 (ERS2) will land are complicated by solar activity which can alter the density of the upper parts of the atmosphere which means that predicting where it will land are to say the least difficult.

ERS2 was launched in April 1995 by the European Space Agency (ESA). At the time it was the most advanced Earth observation satellite. The mission finished in 2011. It was estimated it would re enter in 2024.

The problem is that ESA did not save a small amount of fuel to control the space craft on its last orbit of the Earth before it re entered the atmosphere. This means that it will enter in an unguided way. In other words the experts are not sure where the space craft will land.

In all probability it will land in the ocean as over 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered by water. However you can be sure that there will be many concerned eyes watching the sky on Wednesday morning.

                                                          www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

The Astronomy Show

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE 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.

The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio live on line 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.

The Micro Snow Moon on February 24th

 You have probably heard of the Super Moon, but did you know we also have the Micro Moon? The Moon takes around one month to orbit the Earth. Its normal distance from us is 239,000 miles. The Super Moon is when the Moon appears larger in the sky than normal because it is closer to us, but of course the opposite can also happen; occasions when the moon is further away than normal and we have a Micro Moon. On February 24 we will see the first Micro Moon of the year.

A Super Moon is less than 230,000 miles away while the Micro moon is more than 250,000 miles away. The discrepancy happens because the Moon does not orbit the Earth in a circle but in an ellipse or egg shape.

The Full Moon in February is called the Snow Moon. This is the month when we are most likely to see snow and have the coldest weather of the year.

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A Cooke telescope for a steel merchant in Doncaster in1858

 The steel manufacturer and merchant Charles Daniel Doncaster from Broomhall Park Sheffield purchased from Thomas Cooke & Sons in 1858 a 3.25 inch telescope on a tall tripod, with steadying rods, finder, three astronomical eyepieces and one terrestrial pancratic eyepiece, plus vertical and horizontal slow motions.

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Thomas Cooke telescope to Rugby in 1858

 In 1858 C. Evan of Rugby purchased a 4.5 inch Thomas Cooke & Sons telescope. The telescope had a focal length of 78 inches. It was mounted on a fixed equatorial stand with clockwork motion, illuminating apparatus, micrometer with eyepieces, astronomical eyepieces .

I don’t know if this is the Rev C Evans of Rugby who was elected a FRAS in 1858, or if he had any connection with Rugby school.

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Another Cooke telescope for Cambridge in 1867

 In 1867 William Henry Mandeville Ellis of St John’s College, Cambridge purchased a 4 inch Thomas Cooke & Sons telescope. I think that William Ellis was an architect.

The telescope came with six astronomical, one comet, one eclipse and one terrestrial eyepieces. All the eyepieces had to be packed in a mahogany box.

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St Valentine Eve Northern Lights

There could be a heavenly addition to St Valentine’s day this year.

Since February 7^th the Sun has been throwing a series of CME’s (Coronal Mass Ejections) into space. A new forecast from NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) which suggests that the Earth could get hit tonight, February 13^th the eve of St Valentine.

There is also a chance that some of these CME’s will pile up and form what astronomers refer to as a Cannibal CME. This happens when one fast moving CME catches up with a slower moving CME. Cannibal CME’s contain much stronger magnetic fields that can produce powerful geomagnetic storms.

The magnetic energy from the CME’s interacts with the magnetic fields of the Earth and one of these results are the Northern Lights.

If such a pile up does occur expect to see some really good Northern Lights tonight and maybe even on St Valentine’s night itself.

If you want to see the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis look to the north after if gets dark.

                                                         www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

The Astronomy Show

 Join me, Martin Lunn MBE 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.

The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio live on line 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.

Project TRUMP concluded in February 1964

 On February 12 1964 Project TRUMP which stands for Target Radiation Measurement Program  concluded at Elgin Air Force Base, Florida finished its interim phase.

An official said " We have acquired more data per dollar in TRUMP than in any other probe borne radiation study".

The project investigated ICBM light intensity in the infrared and ultra violet regions. 

For the future TRUMP will continue the researches employing a more powerful booster rocket in place of the NIKE-JAVELIN used in the interim phase.

                                                     www.theramblingastron omer.co.uk

A Cooke eyepiece for a Doctor in Cockermouth in 1865

 Dr Henry Dodgson FRAS a medical practitioner form Cockermouth, Cumberland in 1865 purchased from Thomas Cooke & Sons York an astronomical eyepiece for a reflector with an aperture of 8 inches and a focal length of 69 inches and an 8 inch aperture prism.

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Thomas Cooke telescope mounting for India in 1868

 In 1868 F Doderet in Madras in India purchased a simple Thomas Cooke equatorial mounting for a 5 foot telescope.

I have not yet been able to establish if this was for a Cooke telescope or not or indeed what size the telescope was. The mounting came equipped with leather straps to hold the telescope, on a short tripod.

                                                    www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

Small Thomas Cooke telescope from 1857

 W T Dewesbury of Skelton I assume near York purchased in 1857 a 3.5 inch telescope with a plain mounting. There was a finder, steadying rods, four eyepieces, sun mirror, pancratic eyepiece. All of the above was in a box. The cost was £30,

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A Thomas Cooke telescope for Belgrave Square in 1859

 Sir Thomas Cunningham of Eaton Place Belgrave Square London purchased in 1858 from Thomas Cooke & Sons a universal 3.5 equatorial telescope.

 Later in 1859 he purchased from Cookes an equatorial mounting with tangent screw motion on a tripod for the latitude of Great Britain.

                                                         www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

The Astronomy Show

 Join me, Martin Lunn MBE 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

The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio live on line 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.

Rev J Spear observed planets with Cooke telescope from India in 1870

 The Rev J Spear observed Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in 1870 from Chukrata N W Provence's, Bengal using a Thomas Cooke & Sons 4.5 inch telescope.

He also observed double stars using a Barlow lens more than doubling the telescopes powers.

                                                         www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

Possible TLP seen by TGE Elger with a Cooke telescope in 1867

TLP’s or Transient Lunar Phenomenon are bright patches which can be seen on the surface of the Moon. They are caused by gas escaping through cracks on th surface of the Moon. The term Transient Lunar Phenomenon seems to have been first used by the TV astronomer Patrick Moore.

On the 9^th April 1867 TGE Elger from Bedford using a Thomas Cooke and Sons of York 4 inch telescope was waiting for the occultation by the Moon of the star 150 Tauri when a bright spot as bright as a 7^th magnitude star appeared in the crater Aristarchus.

The spot was seen from 7h 30 min to about 8h and 15 min and it became much fainter. At 9h it was scarcely visible through the 4 inch telescope. Elger used powers of 75 and 115 on his Cooke telescope.

Could this be another example of an early observation of a TLP?

                                                       www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

Mercury seen with small Thomas Cooke telescope from Hull in 1868

On February 15^th 1868 at 6.15 pm William Lawton of Hull observed the planet Mercury, it was as he described one of the clearest views he had of that planet.

Using powers of 50 and up to 100 on the 2 inch Cooke and Sons telescope he was able to observe the gibbous aspect of the planet and also took note of its brilliancy.

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Colour changes seen on Jupiter in 1860 with a Thomas Cooke telescope

 Part of a note on the changes in the colour of the equatorial belt of Jupiter by John Brown esq.

On a fine night in January 1860, I turned Mr Pritchard’s 6.75 inch equatorial by Cooke, for about half an hour on Jupiter. The planet was so well defined, and the details of the markings on the equatorial belt were so peculiar, that I mad a sketch of them, noting at the same time the remarkable brown colour of the equatorial belt. One of the edges of the belt (I think the upper side in the instrument) was beaded or divided into egg shaped masses, which must have been of brighter or lighter colour than the background of the belt, to have given them so much prominence.

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For Sale Thomas Cooke telescope property of G F Chambers

To be Sold in 1867 

The property of a fellow removing

A well constructed wooden observatory with revolving polygonal dome, the internal diameter of which is about 9 feet.

Also a completely mounted 4 inch Cooke Equatorial on iron pillar.

Application to be made to G F Chambers, esq, Junior Carlton Club, 16 Regent Street, W

                                                         www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk