Sheepshanks equatorial

The Sheepshanks dome is in between the Flamsteed house (on the right), and the Great Equatorial dome on the far left (partially obscured by a tree).
The Sheepshanks was operated from the Altazimuth Pavilion from 1963 to 1982.

The Sheepshanks Equatorial Telescope was a 6.7-inch (170 mm) aperture refracting telescope installed in 1838 at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.[1] The telescope was donated to the observatory by the astronomer Richard Sheepshanks. The telescope had a doublet objective lens made by Cauchoix of Paris.[2] Originally it was mounted on a clockwork driven equatorial mounting by the Grubb Telescope Company on a stone pillar.[3][4]

From 1835 to 1963 it was mounted in Greenwich Observatory's Sheepshanks Dome (located between the later Great Equatorial Building and the Prime Meridian); from 1963 to 1982 it was mounted in the Altazimuth Pavilion.[3] In the early 1980s it was placed in storage.[3]

The focal length of the telescope has been quoted as 6 feet 2+1⁄2 inches (1.892 meters) in one source,[3] but according to another it is 8 feet 2 inches (2.49 meters).[5] The telescope tube was made of wood.[6]

An 1840 report from the Observatory noted of the new Sheepshanks telescope:[7]

The power and general goodness of this telescope make it a most welcome addition to the instruments of the observatory

Still in service over half a century later, an 1896 report by W. H. M. Christie had this to say about the Sheepshanks at that time:[5]

Its definition is good: A small quantity of colour from the secondary spectrum, and a diffusion of light from brilliant objects, being the principal defects.

At one time the Sheepshanks refractor was the largest aperture telescope at Greenwich.[8] One of the instruments for the telescope was a wire micrometer.[5]

  1. ^ "The Royal Observatory Greenwich - where east meets west: Telescope: The Sheepshanks Equatorial (1838)". www.royalobservatorygreenwich.org. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Trinity College Chapel - Richard Sheepshanks". trinitycollegechapel.com. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Sheepshanks telescope | Royal Museums Greenwich".
  4. ^ "The Royal Observatory Greenwich - where east meets west: Telescope: The Sheepshanks Equatorial (1838)". www.royalobservatorygreenwich.org. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Christie1896 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "The Royal Observatory Greenwich - where east meets west: Telescope: The Sheepshanks Equatorial (1838)". www.royalobservatorygreenwich.org. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  7. ^ Astronomical Observations, Made at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, ... Clarendon Press. 1840.
  8. ^ Tombaugh, Clyde W.; Moore, Patrick (15 September 2017). Out of the Darkness: The Planet Pluto. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811766647.