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ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
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Radcliffe
Observatory (Oxford)
1937
- 1974
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Current
Information:
-The Observatory closed down. The Current Information section
is not relevant to this Observatory.
Location:
Altitude +/- 5 000 ft above sea level (1 500 m) |
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Noted
for:
- "During
it's quarter-century of active life, the Radcliffe Observatory accomplished
more than many other observatories have done in hundreds of years."
[Copied from Moore, p.119.]
Summary:
- Researched
radial velocities of Stars.
- Radcliffe
Observatory is the Astronomical Observatory for Oxford University
(U.K.). Due to bad seeing conditions in England, it was decided
in the 1920s to set up an observatory in the Southern Hemisphere.
The site chosen was located just outside of Pretoria.
- An
observatory was built and a telescope ordered just before World
War Two. The war delayed construction, to the extent that the telescope
was ordered in 1935, but saw first light in 1948.
- Radcliffe
Observatory was a well-designed facility, manned by competent astronomers,
operating the largest telescope at that time in South Africa.
- Light
pollution is an International problem, and in the 1960's three of
South Africa's Observatories were badly affected by light pollution.
They were the Cape
Observatory
(Cape Town), Radcliffe Observatory (Pretoria) and Republic
Observatory
(Johannesburg). By an agreement between the South African CSIR and
the British Science Research Council (23 September 1970), a new
facility was created away from light pollution at Sutherland in
the Karoo. The main instruments from the Cape and Republic Observatories
were moved to the new sight, and the Cape Observatory grounds became
the headquarters for the new South African Observatories (today
the South African Astronomical Observatory S.A.A.O.)
- Radcliffe
Observatory closed down, and its 74-inch telescope was bought and
moved to Sutherland.
Thus the original Radcliffe Observatory ceased to exist and was
incorporated into a new entity, the S.A.A.O.,
which for reasons of convenience and space will be dealt with in
this website as a separate establishment.
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History:
- "The
observatory at Oxford was founded in 1772 by the Radcliffe
Trustees, and was therefore always known as the Radcliffe
Observatory. Telescopes were set up, and were extensively
used; but nothing can be done about the British climate, and so
far as optical viewing is concerned there are serious limitations.
Moreover, even in the early 1900s Oxford was spreading; from being
a university with a small town tacked on, it was turning rapidly
into an industrial city, with all the benefits of urban civilisation
- such as smoke, grime, fumes and smog. Clearly it was desirable
to move elsewhere, and the man who seems to have provided the first
impetus was the then Radcliffe Observer, Harold
Knox-Shaw,
who had taken up his Oxford duties on 18 August 1924". [Copied
from Moore, p.114.]
- "Knox-Shaw,
used to the clear Egyptian skies, was not in the least impressed
by observational conditions at Oxford and he soon began laying
plans for a move. He had the support of Sir Frank Dyson,
the Astronomer Royal and the change soon came. In 1929 the Radcliffe
Infirmary felt the need for expansion and offered to buy the nine-acre
site on which the Observatory had operated for the previous hundred
and fifty years. By then Knox-Shaw and Dyson had already made a
preliminary reconnaissance to South Africa and on their return it
was tacitly agreed that the shift should be made. In November 1929
an agreement of sale to the Medical School was announced."
[Copied from Moore, p.114.]
- "It
only remained to find a suitable location in South Africa. Pretoria
had a good climate and was convenient in many other ways as well,
but it was essential to be quite sure. The Trustees decided that
the man to find out was Dr
W. H. Steavenson,
... Steavenson came to Pretoria and carried out an extensive
series of tests from a hilltop to the Southeast of the city. Steavenson's
report was favourable. The Municipal authorities then stepped
in and offered to make the Radcliffe Trust a gift of the 57-acre
site; they even promised to lie on water and electricity.
It was a generous offer; the Pretoria authorities kept their word
and continued to give all possible help throughout the Observatory's
career." [Copied from Moore, pp.114 - 115.]
- "Unfortunately,
an Oxford faction led (typically!) by Professor F. A. Lindemann,
afterwards Lord Cherwell, caused prolonged delays by opposing the
transfer of Trust capital to an area outside the jurisdiction
of the English courts. Among those who were called in to support
the move were Knox-Shaw, Dyson, Sir Arthur Eddington, Schlesinger,
Shapley, de Sitter and Spencer Jones. Eventually, in July 1934,
the battle was won." [Copied from Moore, p.115.]
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The site chosen for the Observatory was approximately five miles
(8 km) to the South East of the city, on a range of hills
at an altitude of approximately 5 000-ft (1 500 m) above sea
level.
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The Observatory buildings with the dome, was built and in 1939
the astronomers moved in. The director was Knox-Shaw,
with R.O. Redman as chief assistant and E. Gwyn Williams
as second assistant. There was however no telescope.
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In August 1935 the order for the telescope was placed with
Grubb Parsons. The telescope was 74-inch
(1.8 m) in diameter, and for half a century the largest
telescope in South Africa. Due to the size of the telescope
a successful mirror was only cast on the third attempt in 1938.
Thereafter World War Two completely interrupted the building of
the telescope. The telescope was installed in 1948, 13 years
after it was ordered.
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The Radcliffe Observatory had insufficient funds to maintain a sufficient
staff. By the time the telescope was installed, the Observatory
staff has been reduced. Knox-Shaw was still director, but Redman
and Williams left and replaced by a single person, David
Evans
(1946 – 1951) as assistant. There were also three unskilled labourers.
[Smits: Evans Obituary – MNASSA, p.6]
- In
1948 A.D.
Thackeray was
appointed as Chief Assistant. [Evans Obituary – MNASSA, p.6] He
took over the post of Director in 1951 from Knox-Shaw. It was during
his time that the Observatory enjoyed its most productive years.
- Evans
made many useful contributions to the observatory. He modified the
telescope to safely house the primary which came out thinner than
accepted. An aluminising plant was constructed capable of coating
mirrors up to 15-inches (38 cm) in diameter. Evans also designed
and built a Newtonian spectrograph for the telescope. [Evans Obituary
– MNASSA, pp.6 - 7]
- Due
to the insufficient funds Radcliffe Observatory leased about half
of their observing time to the Cape Observatory. David Evans, assistant
to Knox-Shaw, accepted the post of chief assistant at Cape Observatory
in 1951, but because of the lease arrangement spent a lot of time
at the Radcliffe Observatory. [Smits: Evans Obituary – MNASSA,
p.6] Thus Evans never really left the premises although he
was now working for someone else.
- Radcliffe
became a very well known and established Astronomical Institution.
The Observatory attracted many excellent visiting astronomers from
all over and became a very popular place for students to finish
their doctoral studies. Many observers came to Radcliffe to
do specialised research. [Moore, pp.118 - 119.]
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In the vicinity of the Observatory a suburb developed "...and,
appropriately, many of the roads were re-named according to a
cosmical pattern: Orion Street, Perseus Street and so on. One
of these new names gave rise to an episode, which still tends
to make astronomer's chuckle. The second brightest star in the
entire sky is Canopus, in the constellation of Carina, the Keel
of the old Ship Argo. Naturally, it had to have a road named after
it, but the local authorities accidentally inserted an extra S,
and up went the official sign: Canopsus Street. Canopsus Street
it remained, but after many years a distinguished astronomer,
then resident in Pretoria, wrote to the authorities and pointed
out the error. The reply was stunning. "The name Canopsus is
on all our maps, and has been officially accepted," they
wrote. "It cannot be altered now. Can't you change the name
of the star?" It is not very likely that such an idea appealed
to members of the International Astronomical Union. ...the road
has now been renamed Canopus, . . ." [Copied from Moore,
pp.115 - 116.]
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List
of Directors:
- Harold
Knox-Shaw:
1939 - 1951. He became the director of Radcliffe Observatory in
Oxford in 1924 and realised the need to move the Observatory to
a different sight with better viewing conditions. The Observatory
moved to Pretoria with Knox-Shaw overseeing the move, as well as
being the Director.
- A.D.
Thackeray:
1951 - 1974. It was under his leadership that the Observatory enjoyed
its most productive years. (Thackeray was Chief Assistant from 1948
to 1951)
Chief
Assistant:
- R.O.
Redman:
1939 - ?
- A.D.
Thackeray:
1948 to 1951 (Look Director just above)
- Adriaan
Wesselink:
? - 1964: Assistant Director of Radcliffe. Before that he
was superintendent of Leiden station at Union Observatory. 1946
- 1950
Astronomers:
- E.
Gwyn Williams:
1939 - ?
- David
S Evans:
Chief assistant at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, 1950
- 1968. He spent a lot of time at Radcliffe due to an agreement
between the Cape and Radcliffe Observatories.
- Michael
Feast:
Later he became the director of S.A.A.O. 1974 -
- Peter
Andrews:
-
R Catchpole:
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T.D. Kinman:
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- 74
inch
telescope
- 12
inch reflector
(Belonged to amateurs of the Astronomy Society of Southern Africa
[A.S.S.A.])
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Pictorial
Sources:
Moore, P. & Collins, P., Astronomy in Southern Africa, p.117;
p.118.
Bibliography:
-
Smits, P., A Brief History of Astronomy in Southern Africa.
(Unpublished)
- Moore,
P. & Collins, P., Astronomy in Southern Africa, pp114 - 119.
(General Source)
- Evans
Obituary: MNASSA Vol. 64, Nos 1 & 2, February 2005.
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