Jupiter viewed through a Cooke

 

On a fine night in January 1860, John Brown esq. 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.

The Astronomy Show

 

Join me, Martin Lunn tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show, 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 the Messier Marathon.

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.

Author sells their Cooke

 

In 1862 G F Chambers ordered an equatorial mounting on iron pillar to carry a 3 inch diameter tube. Later in 1865 he ordered and equatorial stand and a telescope with a 4 inch OG.

In 1867 this was advertised .

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

Several Cookes for a London Lecturer

 

Edmund Wheeler a lecturer (I don’t know in which subject) of London in 1857 purchased a number of telescopes from Thomas Cooke & Sons.

In February a 2.75 inch, in May a 4 inch engraved ‘Edmund Wheeler London’ and in September a 4 inch telescope on a plain equatorial stand with brass finder, 4 astronomical eyepieces and a sun prism. The cost of this telescope was £40

In 1864 the 4 inch which was not engraved was being sold for £40. This was the same price that the telescope was brought for.

A Cooke and water on Mars?

 

Mr Grove of Upper Harley Street London made drawings of Mars on October 26^th, 31^st and November 3^rd1862.  He used a 4.5 inch telescope made by Thomas Cooke of York, the focal length was 6 feet.

He was perfectly satisfied of there being notable changes in the distribution of the lights and shadows, inconsistent, it appears to him, there being land and water, or, as he should perhaps say, land and water only:

Star Colours and a Cooke

 

Mr Higgens of Bedford wrote to Admiral Smythe on August 17^th 1863 regarding the colours of the star 95 Hercules, using two telescopes a 3.25 inch and a 4 inch both by Thomas Cooke of York.

The Cooke in Gibraltar

 

Colonel De Rottenburg wrote in a letter dated June 24^th 1860 from Gibraltar. “ I observed a brilliant comet in the constellation of Auriga this evening, a line from beta through a Geminorum continued about three times their distance passed through its nucleus.

It was easily seen with the naked eye, the nucleus was a little less brilliant than Castor . Its altitude above the western horizon about equal to that of Venus at the same time.

I turned my 6 feet equatorial of 4.5 inches aperture made by Messrs Thomas Cooke & Sons of |York on the comet.

It has a bifid tail, very like that of the year 1846 as shown in Keith Johnsone’s 'Atlas of Astronomy' which is edited by Mr Hind. I used powers of 26, 50 and 100 on the comet; the nucleus has a very sensible disk. It bore the powers of 100 very well; one portion of the tail is much longer than the other, the south preceding being the longer.

With 100 power the nucleus was situated within the nebulosity, and the nebulosity was more arched and prominent on the south preceding part. It was first seen by a gentleman here on Saturday evening 23^rd June.