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Posted by Jeremy at 14:34 on 2012 Jul 22
Hello Denis,You make some excellent points about saving municipal observatories. Sorry to here about the Preston Obsy.Peter Wade’s JBAA article is available at ADS:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1992JBAA..102..160WGo well!Jeremy
Posted by Denis Buczynski at 14:14 on 2012 Jul 22
There was an Observatory donated to Lancaster City Council by John Gregg of Escowbeck near Lancaster (a wealthy Mill owner) around the turn of the 19/20th century. This was erected in Lancaster’s Williamson Park and contained an 8 inch Cooke refractor. This was in exsistence up until the start of the Second World War when it was dismantled by the City Council and effectively lost. I know that BAA member Peter Wade has researched this observatory and I think wrote an article for the JBAA about it(a job for searching the digital archive). Peter will have a good deal of knowledge of John Gregg and his astronomical activities. If you want his address, then email me and I will forward it onto you. The tale of demise of this fine observatory in Lancaster is sad and it tells a all to familiar tale of what can happen to these municipal facilities if their fate is left to those who have no knowledge or appreciation of them. The worry is that more will disapear. The Jerimiah Horrocks Observatory in Moor Park in Preston is at immediate risk. The observatory and 8 inch Cooke (visited by many a BAA group over the years) has been "MOTHBALLED" by its current custodians The University of Central Lancashire and has not been used for at least five years and the doors remain closed. There is no proposed plan for is long term survival.These municipal facilities have been the venue of choice by members of the public when there are well publicised astronomical events taking place. I well remeember there being hundreds queueing to look through the 8 inch refractor at Moor Park during the nights that Comet Halley was visible in the 1980’s and also the 2004 transit of Venus acroos the face of the Sun.Can the BAA become more vocal in its support and make the public more aware of the losses they face if more of these fine facilities are lost.
Posted by Jeremy at 13:00 on 2012 Jul 21
OK, mystery solved, thanks to Paul’s contact Mike Worthington Williams, who says:"It’s definitely a Buick. Buick adopted drum type headlamps (which these are) in l922 but the car cannot be later than l923 which was the last year in which this shape of radiator was used (1924 had a curved "upper lip")"This is consistent with another photograph in the collection of Knox-Shaw images from Helwan of a Burndept Ultra IV receiver that was sold in 1922/3. K-S left Helwan in 1924Go well!Jeremy
Posted by Jeremy at 11:28 on 2012 Jul 20
Thanks Paul. I will try that.The man is Harold Knox-Shaw (1885-1970) who worked at the Khedivial Observatory, Cairo, between 1907 and 1924 and who I am researching. I obtained the photo via his son (it’s actaully part of a streo photograph)Go well!Jeremy
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 06:46 on 2012 Jul 20
Sorry Jeremy, I’ve had a look and drawn a blank.If you go to, The Automobile website at http://www.theautomobile.co.uk/pages/get-in-touch.phpAnd then scroll down, to finds and discoveries. And e-mail Michael Worthington Williams, with the picture attached. He will identify this make, and possibly the model for you.Where did you find it?
Posted by Callum Potter at 11:04 on 2012 Jul 19
Jeremy, that’s a really interesting and useful resource – thanks for sharing it.Callum
Posted by Jeremy at 21:01 on 2012 Jul 18
This is potentially very interesting, David, and is certainly intriguingI had a look in a book which lists many observatories that were in existence in ~1907:http://www.archive.org/details/lesobservatoire00delpgoog(You can select to read on line – or download if you prefer)But I can’t see anything listed near Quarry Bank Mill, nor under the name of Greg. The list is of course not exhaustive and in any case 1907 may be a long time after it was pulled down.Go well!Jeremy ShearsCheshire, UK
Posted by David Mottershead at 20:10 on 2012 Jul 18
Many thanks Roy, appreciated. I think, looking at the symbol that accompanies the notation ‘BM 249.5’ that this is a benchmark, and if so there must have been some structure for the benchmark to be on. According to the Ordnance Survey, benchmarks are normally only encountered on buildings and other semi permenant structures. Certainly by the later maps on Old Maps both the observatory and benchmark had gone. So this could well be the observatory referred to. Many thanks again.
Posted by Roy Hughes at 17:26 on 2012 Jul 18
At http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps the 1874 map shows an "Observatory" almost due north of the mill. But I think this is just a view point as its marked B.M. 249.5. (If you want a look, coords 383459, 382943 should show it).
Posted by David Mottershead at 20:03 on 2012 Jul 17
I’m not 100% as Orion Optics UK describe their Hilux coatings as ‘Advanced Aluminium’and ‘AR’, but I can’t find anything that says whether they are dielectric or not. The contact given for optic enquiries is john@orionoptics.co.uk so might be worth contacting them to enquire.
Posted by Gary Poyner at 09:06 on 2012 Jul 09
Good luck Paul. If anyone else images this or any other Nova (or VS come to that), and is able to perform photometry, please let the VSS have your results!Gary
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 14:41 on 2012 Jul 08
Thank you Gary,I will try to image it if the weather improves.
Posted by Grant Privett at 22:49 on 2012 Jul 05
SkyPod certainly is attractive until you see the 1:1 $:£ conversion…A great shame or I would have one myself.
Posted by Grant Privett at 22:44 on 2012 Jul 05
One query. The OO Hilux coatings, are they dielectric coatings?
Posted by Grant Privett at 22:36 on 2012 Jul 05
You would be amazed how few decent images are available of variable nebula. And even then when I have emailed the owners asking for FITS versions I get no reply.
Posted by Grant Privett at 22:31 on 2012 Jul 05
As the FITS images are 300kB is there any chance you are taking images in 2×2 binned mode rather than at the full resolution? The image dimensions should be the give away.I wrote my own code for my Starlight CCD but otherwise use AstroArt 5 which seems to do the job reasonably adequately and is pretty good value these days.
Posted by Gary Poyner at 14:18 on 2012 Jul 04
Latest magnitude from the AAVSO ID is 12.56V on Jly 3.88UT (Sonka) so it has faded somewhat. At -21d dec. it’s a challenge for most UK observers but get’able if you don’t live north of a city.Gary
Posted by Michael Foylan at 11:30 on 2012 Jul 03
Many thanks Richard for the information. I hope to make it over to the meeting on the 6 October. Best wishes and clear skiesMikeCherryvalley Observatory (IAU Code: I83)
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 06:48 on 2012 Jul 02
Just a quick update.The problem was a very loose secondary that was only hanging on by a thread. The secondary as been re- attached using silicon glue, and their isn’t a problem.
Posted by Richard Miles at 12:02 on 2012 Jun 30
Good-day Mike – Nice to see the interest in photometry of comets – Martin’s book although not dealing with the intricacies of photometry is nonetheless well worth having. I’m sure you’ll find it a very stimulating read.Since asteroids and comets both wander the skies, their photometry share some common issues most notably selection of comparison stars having accurate magnitudes and known colours. Here we are at a watershed in that the AAVSO APASS survey is now reaching fruition with an excellent online source of data at:http://www.aavso.org/download-apass-dataSoon these data will be added to the catalogues used by astrometry / photometry software.There are a few key differences between comets and asteroids. The main one stems from one being essentially a point source of light whereas the other is an extended object. However, an important issue with comets is that there is a whole zoo of comet types out there for which no single photometric approach suits all types of object. You can look at a comet as comprising 3 components; (a) the nucleus acting as a point source and reflecting sunlight directly; (b) the dust coma also reflecting sunlight but which has a diffuse distribution, more concentrated towards the nucleus but which is asymmetric once a tail appears; and (c) a gas coma / ion tail which emits light by chemiluminescence towards the blue-green end of the spectrum. Even the same type of comet will behave differently depending on its heliocentric distance and so observing the same object far from perihelion may require different observing methodology than if it is at say 1 AU from the Sun. Having dedicated observing campaigns on particular objects is a good way forward.I should also mention that a joint BAA Section meeting is taking place on Saturday 6 October at The Open University, Milton Keynes on the subject of Comet-Asteroid Connections during which several talks will refer to the topic of photometry comparing and contrasting the two types of object. We also have Luca Buzzi planning giving a talk on the T3 project, which aims to identify comet-like asteroids: multi-aperture photometry is one tool that can be used to confirm cometary nature, for example.Richard Miles
