Monday April 30, 1894

M^r Crisp came down to discuss final plans for new Altazimuth building. Went to Adm^y about reorganisation of Staff & appointment of successor to Le Brun. Crown lens of 28ⁱⁿ O.G. released from constraint (on E side) and reversed to photo-position.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Sunday April 29, 1894

M^r E. Buller & M^r Gray called about M^r Buller’s method of using[?] azimuths for navigation & to see the new buildings &c.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... I have not been able to find out who Mr Buller and Mr Gray were, or anything about the former's navigational method. However, this entry is a good illustration of the Royal Observatory's role as one of the Admiralty's scientific departments, testing equipment and commenting on navigational methods. The ROG had, of course, been founded "for perfecting the art of Navigation".

Saturday April 28, 1894

Found that crown lens in visual posⁿ was not quite down to the bearing at upper part of O.G. It was brought down to this (the centreing [sic] screws being released to a sufficient extent) & the dotted[?] bearing pieces brought into contact & screwed down. Washers were afterwards put to the screws to clamp them more firmly.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Friday April 27, 1894

Point House Club dinner to Prof. Turner. Found in the morning that bearing pieces of crown cell of 28ⁱⁿ O.G. in reversed posⁿ had slipped. Turned it to visual posⁿ & brought it down on the fixed bearing pieces in that posⁿ placing two thicknesses of cartridge paper between slotted bearing pieces & the glass. This slipping of the lens would account for anomalies in the photos.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... Further fiddling with the various pieces of the 28-inch reversible lens - and a wonderful improvised solution!

Thursday April 26, 1894

The Crown lens of the 28.ⁱⁿ was readjusted for tilt. It was found that the ring between the lenses had not been put back when the lens was removed.

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant
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RH says..... Doh!

On the matter of the photoheliographs raised in the previous post, my colleague Graham Dolan informs me that one of the Dallmeyer photoheliographs was mounted on the 28-inch telescope on 12 October 1883 and removed on 24 April 1894, when it was placed on the south wing of the New Physical Observatory with a new equatorial mounting. This would suggest that when Christie ordered that the photoheliograph be placed on the south wing on 16 March, "at once" meant more than a month.



Part of the confusion about photoheliographs at Greenwich is because there were five identical instruments made for the 1874 transit of Venus expeditions. By 1894 three were floating about Greenwich, often with parts interchanged, and two were on loan - one to the Cape Observatory and one to the Science and Art Department. Most of one of these instruments is today mounted at the ROG in the Altazimuth Pavilion.

Tuesday April 24, 1894

Photoheliograph taken off the 28 inch. – Instrument rebalanced.

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant

RH says..... There were several photoheliograph telescopes at Greenwich - used for photographying the sun, as the name suggests - but I'm not sure which one this was and how long it had been attached to the 28-inch telescope. An earlier entry shows that one Dallmeyer Photoheliograph was mounted on the roof of the New Physical Observatory, while the Thompson 9-inch photoheliograph was presumably still attached to the Merz 12.8 telescope in the Lassell Dome.

Monday April 23, 1894

Photographs taken by M^r Maunder with the 28ⁱⁿ Equatorial on Apr 21 shewing that an eccentricity of the image is produced by a tilt[?] of the crown-lens: it was readjusted by M^r Niblett

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant

RH says..... Maunder is best known for his solar photography, but this is a reminder that, as head of the Photographic and Spectroscopic Department, his responsibilities extended elsewhere. G.E. Niblett, the Observatory's mechanic, was evidently an indispensible member of staff. Elsewhere Maunder wrote that Niblett's "skill is in constant requisition in devising, repairing, or keeping in order the many mechanical arrangements upon which so much depends". He was also in charge of the Observatory's electric lighting. The image shows his workshop in the New Physical Observatory, although this building was still incomplete as of 1894.

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Saturday April 21, 1894

Went to Malvern in afternoon returning Thursday evening April 26.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... Christie seems to be off on his holidays again, although, since Malvern was known for its water cure, this trip was very likely for reasons of health. Taking the waters at Malvern was popularised in the early 19th century by two doctors, James Wilson and James Manby Gully, and undertaken by many Victorians, including Darwin and Dickens. This image, from the Worcester County Record Office, shows St Anne's Well, Malvern's most popular spring, in about 1900.