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The Norman Lockyer Observatory, Sidmouth, Devon, U.K. Plate Archive Collection AIP Potsdam 21st Nov 2009 The Hill Observatory Founded by Sir Norman Lockyer in 1912 when he retired from the Solar Physics Observatory (Kensington) Sir Norman Lockyer 1836-1920 Spectral observations of the Sun Discovered Helium in the Sun (1868) Nature of Sunspots and Solar Flares Determined the temperature of the Sun Founder of scientific journal “Nature” Sir Norman Lockyer 1836-1920 Lockyer’s Achievements Founder of scientific journal “Nature” Spectral observations of the Sun Nature of Sunspots and Solar Flares Discovered Helium in the Sun (1868) Sir Norman Lockyer 1836-1920 Famous for his observations of the Sun. He worked out how hot is was. Observed Sun spots. Founder of scientific journal “Nature” th 16 October 1868 “I saw a bright line flash into the field. My eye was so fatigued at that time that I doubted its evidence, although unconsciously, I exclaimed “At Last!” The line, however, remained an exquisitely coloured line absolutely coincident with the line C of the solar spectrum (a Fraunhofer line due to hydrogen in the red) and, as I saw it, a prolongation of that line. Leaving the telescope to be driven by the clock, I quitted the observatory to fetch my wife to endorse my observation.” - Norman Lockyer What he didn’t know at the time.. French astronomer Pierre Janssen had also discovered Hydrogen in a prominence whilst observing at the Indian solar eclipse of August 18th 1868. He saw 9 bright emission lines from the chromosphere. These were first identified as lines of Hydrogen and Sodium. Was able to repeat the observation the next day. The Janssen Medal By a quirk of fate both discoveries were announced to the French Academy of Sciences on the same day. A Gold Medal was struck honouring both Janssen and Lockyer And thus both received world wide acclaim. Discovery of Helium Discovery of Helium In 1866 Lockyer suggested that, with large enough dispersion, it would be possible to observe solar prominences in full daylight without waiting for the sun to be obscured in a total eclipse. In 1868 he noticed a strange yellow line in the spectra that he didn’t recognise. Lockyer named this strange substance after the Greek word for the Sun: Helios. HH H He It would be another 27 years until Helium would be discovered on Earth by Ramsay. Our Oldest Archives Edward Frankland supplies Lockyer with spectra of all the known elements, which Lockyer used to identify atoms present in the Sun. A collection of spectra of 36 metallic elements made in 1874-1879 remains in our archives Our Oldest Archives Our Oldest Archives Nature The first edition Nov. 4th 1869 Lockyer was the first editor and remained so for 50 years. The Kensington Refractor The main work of the observatory was in stellar research and the large refractors were fitted with objective prisms. 9” (22.8cm) prism with 45 deg angle. The Kensington Telescope a 10” (25cm) Refractor and 9” (22.8cm) Prismatic Camera that Lockyer brought from the Solar Physics Observatory. The Kensington Refractor The main work of the observatory was in stellar research and the large refractors were fitted with objective prisms. 9” (22.8cm) prism with 45 deg angle. The Kensington Telescope a 10” (25cm) Refractor and 9” (22.8cm) Prismatic Camera that Lockyer brought from the Solar Physics Observatory. The Lockyer Refractor The famous 6.25” (15.8cm) Cooke refractor with which Lockyer discovered the element Helium. The McClean 10” Refractor The twin tubes of the 12” (30cm) & 10” (25cm) McClean refractor. Francis McClean Snr was a friend of Lockyer. A 12” (30cm) prism of 20deg angle is used to take stellar spectra and determine stellar parallaxes. The McClean 10” Refractor The twin tubes of the 12” (30cm) & 10” (25cm) McClean refractor. Francis McClean Snr was a friend of Lockyer. A 12” (30cm) prism of 20deg angle is used to take stellar spectra and determine stellar parallaxes. The Plate Storage Many plates have recently been returned to the NLO from Cambridge University thanks to the help of Dr. Elizabeth Griffin. The present collection is contained in wooden boxes in a darkroom with de-humidifier. Exeter university have also given us much of the Lockyer Archive including all volumes of Nature. The Spectral Plates ► ► ► ► ► 6,000 glass negatives Size: 81x30mm 164x81mm Dates from 1880’s – 1950’s (SPO, NLO) Spectra of individual stars & clusters Spectra of Comets and Novae Spectral Plates The plates carry information (handwritten on the emulsion) concerning object, telescope, operator, date, time, exposure duration and other photographic details. Spectral Plates The Mond Astrograph In 1932 Sir Robert Ludwig Mond chemist and archaeologist provided funds to build another dome and telescope: The Mond Astrograph The Mond Astrograph Four telescopes mounted on an equatorial for photographing large areas of the sky. Aided the work on stellar classification The Mond Astrograph Four telescopes mounted on an equatorial for photographing large areas of the sky. Aided the work on stellar classification Mond Star Field Plates There are 670 plates of star fields taken in the period 1930-1940. There does not appear to be any supporting paper work. These are boxed and individually stored in envelopes. Catalogues Wooden boxes In darkroom with de-humidifier Extensive series of the North Polar Sequence were carried out. Mond Equatorial Plates Data including exposure details and date recorded on envelopes. Wide Field Plates Plate of Orion nebula taken with Mond Equatorial 16th Feb 1934 Variable Stars γ Cassiopeiae was regularly observed by W.J.S.Lockyer, both wide field and spectra were obtained, showing wide ranging variations. Novae Nova Persei 6th March 1901 Discovered Feb 21st 1901 Max light 0.2 mag Feb 23rd Then oscillated greatly +/- 1.5 mag every 4 days Novae Nova Cygni III (1920) 70 plates were taken with the McClean refractor showing changes in the spectra. Images taken from Aug 22nd – Sep 10th 1920 Show the disappearance of the dark absorption lines and appearance of bright lines to their right. A Clepsydra Designed by Lockyer this instrument controlled the fall of a plate vertically for broadening the stellar spectra. Novae Nova Lac (1936) was imaged wide field and also spectra were taken with the 12” prismatic camera. Comets Comet (1939d) JurlofAchmarof-Hassel Comets Comet Arend-Roland 1956 Lantern Slides Photos of Lockyer’s eclipse expeditions give unique glimpses into the social background of late-Victorian and Edwardian science in Britain. Lockyer’s Eclipse Expeditions The next total solar eclipse from UK would be in 1927 “Therefore, who would witness one must go afield, sometimes very far afield; and this involves a considerable expenditure of both time and money, and often discomfort and risk to health.” Lockyer’s Eclipse Expeditions The average 19th-century eclipse expedition was a huge undertaking, striking parallels to the monumental logistics of sending astronauts to the moon today. Months in planning Life Support for 1-3 months Large crew: 150 personnel to India 1898. Public Works Dept. subordinates – masons, carpenters. Accommodation: Tens, huts, photographic darkrooms Messing arrangements: Provisions for crew Security: Guards to protect eclipse camp from natives Lockyer’s Eclipse Expeditions The Varanger Fjord Eclipse of 1896 Norman Lockyer and Sir William with the 9¨ Prismatic Camera Lockyer’s Eclipse Expeditions The perfect organisation of time signals is a fundamental condition of success! 1898 Indian Eclipse at Viziadrug 1927 Solar Eclipse Norman Lockyer died in 1920 and his son William James was now director 1927 Solar Eclipse Social History WJS Lockyer was a keen aviator. There are many plates of the early days of ballooning with Charles Rolls in 1908. (of Rolls Royce fame) Social History Aerial Photography WJS Lockyer took many aerial photos, both from ballooning and aeroplane. Also cloud photographs & lightening strikes. The Royal Aero Club At Muswell Manor, Leysdown in 1909. These are some of the earliest pioneer aviators: From left to right standing: The owner of Muswell Manor, Oswald, Horace and Eustace Short, Francis McLean, Griffith Brewer, Frank Hedges Butler, Dr Lockyer, Warwick Wright; seated are JTC Moore-Brabazon, Wilbur and Orville Wright and Charles Rolls. The Rescue of the NLO James Lockyer died in 1936 and the day to day running was taken over by Univ. College of SW England. All observations ceased on the retirement of Donald Barber in 1961. The NLO Today East Devon District Council purchased the site for posterity in 1985, and the NLO was formally re-opened by Patrick Moore in 1989 The NLO Today Major developments: New planetarium in 1996 Donald Barber Lecture Theatre in 2006 The NLO Today The NLO Today Primarily a UK charity working for Astronomical Education in the South West U.K. Manned by volunteers/retired professional astronomers. Recent Projects Restoration of the Lockyer Siderostat. Here it is in 1936 Recent Projects The siderostat has been repaired and the solar spectrum is projected into the observatory to show the Fraunhofer lines. The NLO Today We have 44 public open evenings/yr. Welcome school groups, students and run short astronomy courses throughout the year. In Summary ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► We are aware that we have acquired a unique collection of archiv es archives and plates An initial attempt has been made on cataloging cataloging them. them. We are concerned as to how best to preserve these archives and m ake make them more readily available to the wider public. We are a charity run by volunteers so have limited finances and also limited time! Thank you very much for inviting me! David Strange Chairman: Norman Lockyer Observatory www.normanlockyer.org Dear David, > Gerald White has suggested I write to you, as you were instrumental > in helping to save many of Lockyer's spectral plates at Norman > Lockyer Observatory. It is good to hear from you, and to know that the NLO is flourishing. My involvement with the NLO really came through the IAU Task Force for the Preservation and Digitization of Photographic Plates, a group of about 80-90 who are involved in (or sometimes sideline supporters of) the rescue of historic photographic information into a preserved (probably digital) format so as to avoid loss through deterioration or destruction. I Chaired the PDPP since its creation in 2000, and we publish an occasional Newsletter, "Scan-IT" (http://www.lhobs.org/PDPP.html). Do you have any personal knowledge of this plate collection, that > would be relevant for discussion in the seminar? No, nothing that cannot be divined from studying the observing note-books (which I believe you also have?). It would be useful, for instance, to get a ball-park figure for how many plates there are in that collection, and to show (if you can) a slide or quick scan that demonstrates a 'typical' exposure (if there is such a thing). My own suggestion for that collection would be to digitize the observing logs, so that one can query on-line what the collection contains and on what dates a given star was observed. I could offer an ascii template for that, or a list of FITS headers. Any request you got could then be met by a quick scan of the original, and only followed up with a more detailed, precise one if and when the requester needed it. Having said that, it would be very valuable to set aside spectra of stars known to vary, since there you could have something of true scientific worth - but that will also require preparing that digital contents catalogue first. You are very welcome to share any of the above with anyone interested, both at the meeting and at the NLO. I look forward to learning more about the meeting, and wish you well. With kind regards, Elizabeth Griffin