Friday November 9, 1894

R.A.S. Com^ee & Council meeting beginning at 2.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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Mr Swasey called – Gas failed. Mr Simmonds turned it off in the Chronometer room.

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant

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RH says..... The report of the RAS Council meeting can be found here. The meeting included a paper by Rev W. Sidgreaves on 'Solar Observations at Stonyhurst College Observatory', prompting a discussion on spectroscopic observations of sunspots and a long response from E. Walter Maunder, the head of the Royal Observatory's solar observation programme. There is also mention of Thomas Lewis's observations of a binary star with the 28-inch telescope. Responding to this, Maunder said that Lewis's observation was "a testimony to his skill and keenness of sight as a double-star observer; and it may also be regarded as satisfactory as showing the defining-power of the new refractor at Greenwich." In support of this point he added that on the previous Monday night he had observed Mars's satellites with it: "There was not the smallest difficulty in seeing and measuring" them.

Friday October 19, 1894

M^r Crisp & M^r Loughborough with M^r Awdry discussed the above. Also discussed, with M^r Crisp proposed Magnetic Pavilion in the Park and balcony below 36^ft Dome.

Discussed with M^r Simms plans for new Astrographic micrometer & Photographic spectroscope.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... The 36-foot dome was the new onion-shaped dome that accommodated the larger 28-inch telescope instead of the Great Equatorial telescope that the building had originally contained. This postcard clearly shows the balcony that Christie discussed today.

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The Magnetic House at this time was still where it had been since the 1840s - in the south part of the Royal Observatory's site, but north of the New Physical Observatory. This area today is covered by the dome of the Peter Harrison Planetarium. Despite Christie performing apparently satisfactory experiments to test the effect of ironwork in the new buildings on the magnetic observations, it had obviously become clear that the would have to be performed away from the main site. The picture below shows the new Magnetic Pavilion, built in 1899, in the area of Greenwich Park that became known as the Christie Enclosure. This area, 350 yards east from the main site, once held several telescope domes, including that of the Yapp 36-inch telescope, as well as the Magnetic Pavilion and Magnetograph House. It was all dismantled and returned to the Park when the Observatory moved to Herstmonceux and the Greenwich site became part of the National Maritime Museum.

Wednesday October 10, 1894

Arranged for light hinged cover to 28ⁱⁿ O.G. as suggested by M^r Lewis.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... It is interesting to see Thomas Lewis, whose official responsibility was the Time Department, being involved with the 28-inch telescope in this way. Under the previous Astronomer Royal, George Airy, staff seem to have been discouraged from taking an interest in instruments and activities outside their remit.

Tuesday October 9, 1894

Received a positive & negative eyepiece for 28 Inch ordered July 24 from Mess^rs Troughton & Simms.

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant

Thursday September 27, 1894

Cleaned outside surface of 28ⁱⁿ O.G. Adjustment of spectroscope in the evening.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Thursday September 13, 1894

Saw Director of Works at Admiralty & M^r Crisp about new buildings. Received from M^r Simms small reflecting prism for spectroscope on 28ⁱⁿ telescope.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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Half-inch prism for spectroscope of 28 Inch arrived from Troughton & Simms.

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant

Wednesday September 12, 1894

Went to Troughton and Simms’ about alteration of microscope of Astrographic micrometers & Posⁿ microm. of 28ⁱⁿ telescope. Saw the new Astrographic micrometer made for Prof. Turner.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... Christie is straight back to business after his long holiday. It is nice to see his interest in the instrumentation ordered by Turner, his former Chief Assistant, in his new role as director of the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford.

Tuesday August 21, 1894

A man called from Mess^rs Troughton & Simms about the Position of the 28 Inch Micrometer. I shewed him the method of illumination used in the Astrographic Telescope. He had been unable to obtain a dark field and illuminated wires in the way suggested by the Astronomer Royal, and wished to use some prisms to reflect the light. M^r Lewis & I discussed the matter with him and agreed that M^r Simms should do it as he liked & alter it subsequently, if necessary.

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant

Monday July 30, 1894

Arranged mounting of reflecting prism for spectroscope on adapter carried by telescope. This work was put in hand by Niblett.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... The spectroscope used on the 28-inch telescope was designed by Christie, though as we see here it was the indispensable Niblett who undertook the practical work. The spectroscope can be seen in use in the photograph if you click on the link above.

Saturday July 28, 1894

Tried adjustment of Spectroscope on 28ⁱⁿ telescope and altered posⁿ of Spectroscope collimator as the axis of pencil from O.G. was not reflected along coll^r axis.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Monday July 23, 1894

Went to Troughton & Simms’ in afternoon & arranged about alterations to astrographic micrometer & to position circle micrometer for 28 inch telescope. Ordered a new positive & a new negative eyepiece for 28in telescope power 1000. Inspected new altazimuth, the telescope, axis & circles being mounted in position. Approved of patterns for mounting of collimators. During my absence Minifie the labourer fell from a tree in the garden, from a height of about 25 feet. He fell on his back but, though much shaken, was not seriously injured. He was cutting off a branch which interfered with the sunshine register.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... Poor Minifie: a near-martyr of meteorological science.

Thursday July 5, 1894

M^r Maunder having pointed 28ⁱⁿ telescope on the Sun to adjust the spectroscope the plane mirror for diagonal view cracked in three pieces.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says.... This was the half-mirror spectroscope designed by Christie himself - if you click on the 28-inch link above you will see a photograph of Maunder using it.

Saturday June 30, 1894

Released the three clips pressing down crown lens of 28ⁱⁿ O.G. as there was some suspicion of strain and put double thickness of blotting paper in addition to the cartridge paper under each.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Thursday May 24, 1894

Writing Report &c. Readjusted tilt of 28ⁱⁿ O.G. pushing out S. part of crown lens very slightly.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... The Astronomer Royal's report was clearly quite a burden on top of normal work. For the year 1893-94 is was 27 pages long and, as usual, contained sections on all areas of the ROG's activities. The section-headings for this year are: the buildings, portable instruments and library; astronomical observations (with sections on observations made with each of the principal instruments); spectroscopic and photographic observations; magnetic observations; meteorological observations; printing and distribution of Greenwich publications; chronometers, time-signals and longitude operations; personal establishment (i.e. staff); and general remarks.

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In the general remarks Christie commented that "During the past year the work of the Observatory has been exceptionally heavy, and it has had to be carried out under conditions which have made it very difficult." His principal gripes related to lack of staff accommodation, on-going building works and the need for a reformed staff structure. His final paragraph reported that "The 28-inch Refractor has been mounted, and got into working order both for visual and photographic observation", though his continued fiddling with the lens might suggest otherwise.

Monday May 21, 1894

Adjusted tilt of 28ⁱⁿ O.G. pushing out S.W. part of crown lens slightly. Writing report to B. of V. Mr H. Outhwaite entered on his duties as Clerk.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Tuesday May 15, 1894

Adjusted tilt of 28ⁱⁿ O.G. slightly. Separation of lenses 3ⁱⁿ.55 relatively to visual position. A P.O. official called about wall letterbox, which was to be of usual size of opening, large packets being handed to the postman.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Sunday May 13 & Monday May 14, 1894

Whitsunday. M^r Common came in afternoon staying till Tuesday, discussing eclipse of 1896, stars photo’s, 28ⁱⁿ O.G., new altaz., dome & building &c. On Monday night examined 13ⁱⁿ Merz telescope on Moon & stars, also photo’s taken with 28ⁱⁿ O.G. We agreed that for the publication of the star map, it would be advisable to begin by having prints from transparencies, which could be purchased singly or by the dozen by any person applying for them, the prints being taken by a photographer at an agreed rate as required, and sold at a price to cover expenses.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... Andrew Common was an amateur astronomer with a particular interest in photography. He also designed his own innovative instruments and was experienced in making large telescope mirrors. Because of this he supurvised the making of the 30-inch mirror for the ROG's Thompson Photographic Reflector (mounted in 1896). He was an important member of the British scientific community and was a member of the Board of Visitors to the ROG.

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Common was not directly involved with the Carte du ciel mapping project, which Christie refers to here, but because of his innovations in photography had been invited to the original international conference and advised various participants.

Thursday May 10, 1894

M^r Hughes from Director of Stores Depart^t made out his list of Office furniture required for new building South Wing. M^r Simms Jun^r commenced mounting Simms & Cooke Equatorials & Water Telescope in South Wing Basement. Mr McGilicuddy[?] from Doching[?] & Son called about a mistake in no of copies of Astr. Results 1891, the 180 separate copies not having been struck off. I complained to him of the slow rate of printing. Settled [illegible] details of mounting of Spectroscope on 28 inch telescope. Went to meeting of R.S. (Papers on Eclipse of 1893 April 16) & to dinner of R.S. Club.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... E.Walter Maunder had this to say about the Water Telescope:

"An ingenious telescope was set up by Sir George Airy in order to ascertain if the speed of light were different when passing through water than when passing through air. Or, in other words, if the aberration of light would give the same value as at present if we observed through water. The water telescope, as it was called, is kept on the ground floor of the central octagon of the new observatory. The observations obtained with it were hardly quite satisfactory, but gave on the whole a negative result."

The Royal Society Club was a dining club, for the inner circles of the Royal Society. See Archibald Geikie's 1917 Annals of the Royal Society Club; the record of a London dining-club in the eighteenth & nineteenth centuries for background.

Thursday May 3, 1894

Arranged with Desforges (from Troughton & Simms) mounting of Half prism spectroscope on Great Equatorial (28ⁱⁿ). Meeting of Board A of Gov^t Grant Com^ee at R.S. at 3.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal
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RH says..... The Government Grant Committee of the Royal Society, as the name suggests, met to decide how to distribute the sum that the government voted annually for the direct support of scientific research. This scheme dated back to 1850, although only became an annual payment in 1856. Subcommittees were formed for the various branches of science - astronomy and mathematics, as at the British Association for the Advancement of Science, was section A.

Tuesday May 1, 1894

Went to Troughton & Simms in the afternoon about new Altazimuth (in progress), glass diaphragm with scales at right angles for measure of star photo’s, mounting of spectroscope on Great Equatorial &c. M^r Simms showed me an alloy of platinum (2 parts) & copper (1 part) recommended by Johnson & Matthey as uncorrodible, which he proposed to use for the circle of the new Altazimuth.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... Christie here refers to the Great Equatorial, which is the name normally associated with the 12.8-inch Merz, installed when George Airy was Astronomer Royal. The 28-inch had replaced this in the ROG's Great Equatorial Building, and Christie evidently transferred the name. Johnson and Matthey, a company that still exists, was a precious metals assayer that had produced the standard weights and measures for the International Metric Commission.

The 28-inch telescope had a half-prism spectroscope, designed by Christie himself, that had to be mounted underneath the telescope - a much larger instrument than the one that the building and mount had originally supported. According to the obituary of Christie by Turner, this half-prism design was pioneering, but the "soundness of its principles has since been questioned".