Monday December 31, 1894

Prof. Turner here. Talked over with him question of measurement of astrographic plates, also publication of M^r Thackeray's paper on R.A.'s of Polaris in Memoirs R.A.S.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... It's nice to see Turner, the Royal Observatory's Chief Assistant at the start of 1894, put in an appearance on the last day of the year - because, of course, this is the last post for this blog as we say bye-bye to IYA 2009. I hope those of you who have been following it have enjoyed these glimpses into the past of the ROG. It's been interesting and useful for me, at least. My energies are now being diverted into the Cambridge/NMM Longitude Project: look out for a new blog there starting later in the year. And please note, Sobel enthusiasts, Longitude means more than Harrison!

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Happy new year - 1895 and 2010!

Friday December 14, 1894

R.A.S. meeting. Eclipse Com^ee 2.30, Photo. Com^ee 3.15, Council 4-6.15.
M^r Crisp came down to arrange about roof & dome of Altaz. building.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... The RAS council meeting included a contribution by Frederick Howlett, a rector and astronomer dedicated to the study of sunspots. This caught my eye as I have recently been looking at the history of solar observation for a display called 'Solar Story' opening at the ROG in January. This will coincide with a new planetarium show, Secrets of the Sun, and the ROG's contribution to a citizen science project working with the data of the STEREO mission. It is a good opportunity to highlight the work of Maunder and the observatory's magnetic department.

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.

Wednesday July 25, 1894

M^r A.N. Wollaston (Assis^t Sec^y India Office) called to enquire about the Photoheliograph for India. I mentioned to him the difficulties about arranging for meetings of Indian Obs^y Com^ee & proposed that there should be a fixed date for the meeting & that a clerk from India Office should act as Sec^y. Letters were written to him subsequently to this effect.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... Christie arranged for identical photoheliograph telescopes to be used in India and Mauritius to fill in gaps of the Greenwich series of sunspot photographs caused by cloudy weather. The Indian Observatory Committee of the Royal Society and Royal Astronomical Society had been set up in 1885 to monitor the efficiency of the Bombay and Madras observatories. In 1897 it was merged with the Observatories Committee.

Friday June 8, 1894

R.A.S. Council meeting. Presided at R.S. Club dinner, Sir H. Thompson & Sir H. Trueman Wood guests.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Friday May 11, 1894

M^r Loughborough came up about the colouring of the terracotta in the new Building contrary to specification. R.A.S. Council Evening meeting.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Mr Julitt West, Berlin, Engineer called to see arrangements for time signals. He called again on May 16 & went into details of several points – viz – comparison of clocks – construction of Mean Solar clock Shepherd – Method of correcting Mean Solar Clock for small errors – Registration of signals on Chronograph – Barometric correction of S. S. Clock – Method of dropping Time Ball.

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant

RH says..... There is a clear difference in the colour of the terracotta on the later wings of the South Building, which may be what is referred to here. It is testament to the length of time it took to complete all four wings and to the difficulties that were encountered in supply of terracotta - frost and strikes had both caused severe delays.

Wednesday May 2, 1894

M^r Plummer left, having completed his obs^ns for personal equation with the portable Transit in the Transit Pavilion.
Meting of Solar Eclipse Com^ee at the R.A.S. at 3 & 4. Royal Society Soiree.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... This event at the Royal Society - one of their regular soirees or conversazione - was reported in the journal Nature on 10 May 1894 (which, unfortunately, you can only see if you or your institution subscribes - which mine does not). This fantastic image illustrating a Royal Society 'gentleman's conversazione' is from the Daily Graphic in 1890. See more here.

Friday April 13, 1894

R.A.S. Council

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... A report of this RAS Council Meeting can be found online here. It's from The Observatory, a journal founded by Christie back in 1877. Christie does not seem to have taken an active part in this meeting and, in fact, the ROG's input seems to have been limited to the submission of a paper on 'Observations of Denning's Comet' and the election of 'F.W. Dyson, M.A., Fellow of Trin. Coll., Camb., Royal Observatory, Greenwich, S.E.'.

Friday March 9, 1894

R.A.S. Meeting. Shewed photo’s taken with 28ⁱⁿ telescope corrected for photography. Also photo’s of Sunspot of February -------- and magnetic disturbances.
Went to M^r W.H. Whites R. Institution lecture on the making of a modern fleet.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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R.A.S. The Astronomer Royal shewed trial photos taken with 28ⁱⁿ.

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant

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RH says..... An account of this day's Royal Astronomical Society meeting from The Observatory magazine can be downloaded here. Christie presented the photographs with caution, saying that although they hoped that they had nearly got the adjustment corrected they were still in the experimental stage. As Sir Howard Grubb was in town, having been at Greenwich the day before to discuss the proposed 26-inch telescope, he was present and asked to comment on the lens. Sounding rather defensive, he pointed out that "As this was the only large object-glass I ever had to make without having to make the mounting for it, I was placed under very peculiar circumstances, not being able to try it on a celestial object until it was at Greenwich" but, all things considered, he was pleased with the results. The data about sunspots and magnetic readings was presented by E. Walter Maunder, head of the ROG's Photographic and Spectroscopic Department and one of the RAS's secretaries.

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W.H. White's Royal Institution lecture was reported in The Times the next day. 'The Making of a Modern Fleet' focused on the programme of shipbuilding begun after the passing of the 1889 Naval Defence Act. White reported that all but eight or nine of the 70 ships paid for would be ready for service by the end of the month, the date specified in the Act. It was (according to White and The Times) "an unprecedented feat which no other country in the world could rival".

Friday February 9, 1894

R.A.S Annual Meeting

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says.....

A report of this Annual Meeting from The Observatory can be downloaded here. Turner and Maunder, Chief Assistant and one of the First Assistants at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, were both secretaries. It was announced at this meeting that the Society's Gold Medal was awarded to the American astronomer Sherburn Wesley Burnham, "for his discoveries and observations of Double Stars". Much of the rest of the meeting seems to have been taken up with discussing the best time to hold meetings in the future. A proposal to meet at 4.30 was voted down, suggesting that a majority of Fellows of the RAS were not gentlemen of leisure, but were men of business, naval and army officers and - occasionally - professional astronomers.

Friday February 2, 1894

Attended meeting of Council R.A.S. Went to Sandwich in evening returning Monday evening.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Rebekah Higgitt says....

After a meeting of the Council of the Royal Astronomical Society, Christie was off for the weekend. I don't know what he was doing in Sandwich (Kent), unless he enjoyed golf. Sandwich is the home of the Royal St George's Golf Club. Opened in 1887, in 1894 this was the first course to host the British Golf Open Championship outside Scotland - and apparently they will be hosting it again in 2011.

Friday 12 January, 1894

Saw M^r Awdry at the Adm^y.

R.A.S. Eclipse Com^ee & Council. Went with M^r Crisp to see mantelpieces at Steel & Garland’s (Cork S^t.) & Cooper’s in interval between meetings in afternoon.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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Rebekah Higgitt says.....
Christie attended the same Royal Astronomical Society Council and Committee meetings as his Chief Assistant Turner (see previous post). The 'Eclipse Committee' was the Joint Permanent Eclipse Committee of the Royal Society and the Royal Astronomical Society, which was then planning an expedition to view the solar eclipse of 9 August 1896 in Japan. Christie and Turner were heavily involved with the planning and execution of this an several other eclipse expeditions.

Friday 12 January, 1894

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H.H. Turner, Chief Assistant

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Rebekah Higgitt says...

Turner today attended a regular meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society in his role as one of the Secretaries. The other Secretary was another ROG employee, E. Walter Maunder. Turner was later, in 1903-1905, to be the Society's President. The proceedings of this day's meeting, as reported in The Observatory, a magazine founded in the 1870s by Christie, can be seen here.