The Astronomy Show

 

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.

1868 Transit of Mercury seen from Liverpool with a Cooke

 

1868 Transit of Mercury seen from Liverpool with a Cooke.

George Williams using a 4.25 inch Cooke & Sons telescope observed the transit of Mercury on November 5^th 1868 from 2, Devonshire Road, Prince’s Park, Liverpool.

Williams observed no apparent elongation or pear shape, or black drop at the egress of the planet; but the boiling of the limb, which was considerable, may account for the absence of these appearances.

A Cooke in Sunderland sees the Martian Moons

 

A Cooke in Sunderland sees the Martian Moons

On December 22^nd 1881 John Watson of Sunderland (more accurately Seaham Harbour, which is about 5 miles south of Sunderland) reported seeing two small points of light near Mars using a Thomas Cooke & Sons 12inch refractor. The positions of the moons were determined by using the ephemeris of Mars is indicated where the two satellite should be.

Thomas Cooke & Sons 12 inch telescope

I have little more information regarding either this 12 inch telescope or observations made by it. Although it is mentioned in G F Chambers Handbook of Descriptive and Practical Astronomy vol. 2 Oxford 1890 page 297.

Watson had an 8 inch Wray telescope mounted on a metal pillar supplied by Thomas Cooke which he offered for sale in 1880 presumably to make room for the 12 inch Cooke.

Zeta Cancri seen with a Cooke

 

Zeta Cancri observed with a Cooke

I have only a small number of details regarding J L Stothert of Audley Bath, who had a 6 inch Cooke, I know that zeta Cancer was observed on April 17th 1880.

I assume he died in either late 1880 or early 1881 because in an advertisement in April 1881 the executors of the late J L Stothert are offering an observatory with a 6 inch Cooke for sale.

 

A Cooke at the London Stock Exchange

 

A Cooke at the London Stock Exchange

In April 1865 William Bolger Gibbs (1834-1925) of Talford Road, Peckham purchased a 4 inch telescope from Thomas Cooke & Sons York, a little later he purchased a 5.5 inch refractor which he housed in an observatory, I cannot say if this was a Cooke telescope or not.

He was described as the “Father of the London Stock Exchange” but apart from his business he loved science and in particular astronomy.

He was friends with his near neighbour James Buckingham of Walworth who owned the 21 inch refracting telescope.

The Astronomy Show

 

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.

The Mount Lookout Observatory

 The Mount Lookout Observatory

A report from an America

American Register Saturday 3^rd July 1875

The equatorial telescope 12 inches in diameter, made in Munich for the Lookout observatory in Cincinnati arrived recently and will be placed in position immediately.

Mt Lookout Observatory c1880

My note

The original Cincinnati Observatory was located at a site called Mount Ida which was opened in 1843 with a telescope with a 11 inch lens made in Munich, Bavaria (this was before a unified Germany) by former President Quincy Adams, the mountain was subsequently renamed Mount Adams.

In 1873 due to light pollution this new observatory was built about 5 miles outside of Cincinnati to allow for clearer skies and was called the Mount Lookout Observatory.

In 1904 a 16 inch Alvan Clark telescope would be installed.