Cooke Telescope Tales - Copies of the John Franklin Adams photographs for sale in 1913

 Nature April 10^th 1913

John Franklin Adams photographed the entire night sky between 1904 and 1909 from Godalming in Surrey for the northern hemisphere and from South Africa for the Southern Hemisphere using a 10 inch Cooke camera and two 6 inch Cooke cameras.

 In 1913 the Royal Astronomical Society undertook to publish a small number of the Franklin Adams Charts. The 206 photographic plates covered the entire sky. Each plate covered an area 15 degrees by 15 degrees.  

The reproductions were on bromide paper 15 inches by 12 inches with the plate area being 11inches by 11 inches. The cost of each set will be 10 guineas in 2025 this would be over £1,400!! 

It is hoped that a sufficient number of subscribers will be enlisted to help to defray the cost of such an expensive undertaking. It is hoped that they will be ready in 1914. 

Today the Franklin Adams Charts are still use by astronomers due to their quality and their historical reference to the night sky over 100 years ago.

                                                    www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

 

 

 

A little ramble through 19th century astronomy - Schiaparelli and the Milan Observatory in 1873

Nature December 11th 1873

Signor Schiaparelli, Director the Milan Observatory, has been appointed Director of the Florence Observatory in place of the late Signor Donati.

The Florence Observatory which stands near Galileo’s Tower at Arcetri, is in every way superior to that of Milan, and we may look for considerable results from an astronomer who has already done so much with small opportunities.

                                                        www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

A little ramble through 19th century astronomy - comet Winnecke 1869

 Academy, Saturday 13^th November 1869 

 Winnecke's Comet.

Huggins’ spectral analysis of this comet is well known, and his conclusion that the light of this comet is produced by incandescent carbon vapour. The experiments of Watts—published in the October Number of The Philosophical Magazine—seem to prove that this spectrum is really that of carbon: and further, that the temperature of the carbon producing it must be between 1500° C. and 2500° C. If no other explanation of this comet-spectrum can be found, and if the temperature of cosmical space may really reach 1500° C., important changes must be made in the theories of the universe as at present accepted.

                                                        www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

The Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio

 Join me, Martin Lunn MBE every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the award-winning Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, 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 latest news from the astronomical societies in the north of England. 

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

 

 

Cooke Telescope Tales - Occultation of delta3 Taurus observed from Liverpool in 1870

On November 9^th 1870 John Joynson of Waterloo in Liverpool observed an occultation of delta 3 Tauri. Delta 3 is one of the members of the Hyades cluster of stars that are near to Aldebaran in Taurus. Joynson was using a 6 inch Cooke telescope. 

An occultation occurs when the Moon passes in front of a star blocking out the light from the star. Very occasionally a planet will pass in front of a star. This happened in 1977 when Uranus passed in front of a star leading to the discovery of its system of rings. 

According to Joynson the Moon passed over this star and the disappearance took place at 11 hours, 19 minutes and 11.3 seconds. The star reappeared at 12 hours 16 minutes and 50.7 seconds. The observations were considered very satisfactory.

                                                       www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

Cooke Telescope Tales - Thomas Cook was allowed to vote in 1837

Thomas Cook optician of Stonegate in York was objected to being able to vote in the general election of 1837  by a Mr Graham because he believed that Mr Cook was not a £10 Freeholder. At this time unless you owned a freehold property to the value of £10 you were unable to vote. 

However on checking it was found that Mr Cook had a previous rating that showed he was a £10 Free holder owning his opticians shop in Stonegate and was therefore allowed to vote. 

The 1837 election was won by the Viscount Melbourne. I do not know which way Thomas Cook voted.

 

Also note that his name is spelled without an ‘e’, he went from Thomas Cook to Thomas Cooke sometime in the early 1840s.

                                                       www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk

A little ramble through 19th century astronomy - Columbia College Observatory in 1873

 Nature July 3^rd 1873

We learn that there has been erected a small observatory on the Columbia (U.S.) College campus for educational and we hope, also for scientific purposes. The observatory is furnished with an equatorial, accompanied by a seven-prism spectroscope by Clark, and a position micrometer, besides an altazimuth and a zenith telescope.

                                                      www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk