Godlee Observatory Guided Tour

The Godlee Observatory (and the telescopes therein) was presented to the City of Manchester in 1903 by Francis Godlee. The tower which houses the observatory is a well know landmark to commuters using the nearby Piccadilly Railway Station (although few will realise what the building is used for).

The meeting rooms are on floor G of the Sackville Street Building, University of Manchester. They are situated directly under the observatory which is accessed via a spiral staircase climbing up past the massive telescope pier supported by immense steel I-beams that span the observatory tower. The main. high-ceiling Octagon room, with its superb views across the city from the tall windows in six of its eight walls, houses the meeting room equipped with a 2.4 metre square projection screen and digital projector/PC. The library, which contains a large collection of astronomical reference books (some dating back to the 19th century) and journals, is located in the Annexe room to the rear. The MAS are fortunate in possessing a complete set of Journals of the British Astronomical Association dating from 1890. The library also includes several books presented to the Society by their authors.

The Octagon room is an open forum for informal discussions every Thursday evening throughout the year (except the winter session lecture evenings currently held at the MMU in the John Dalton Building) where groups of like-minded people can talk about current astronomical topics and events. It was also the room used for telescope making classes. Mirror making was a popular activity thanks to Mr Steve Hodgkinson and complete telescopes were constructed for subsequent loan to members of the Society. Several members assembled electronically controlled, Scotch-type, camera drives for wide field astrophotography.

The Octagon room is also the used occasionally for meetings of the North West Group of Astronomical Societies and other visitors to the Society. Over the years these have included a party of Russian delegates to the International Astronomical Union, dignitaries from the University of Manchester and frequent visitors from local bodies: Scouts, Guides, school parties, etc. It has also been used on a number of occasions by BBC Radio for recording of poetry readings.

An annexed small room, besides housing our library, is home to our computer which gives members internet access as well as the ability to use astronomical and image processing software. Slides shows and PowerPoint presentations are held in the main Octagon Room. Here the novice and experienced astrophotographer alike can share pictures with members and not only learn the craft but are often able to demonstrate new techniques and photographic emulsions for the benefit of all.

Informal Lectures, including monthly Sky Notes, are regularly given by the more experienced members, often prompted by some current interest: nova, eclipse, comet or meteor shower. A cable link to a webcam attached to the telescope in the observatory on the floor above allows members to view the moon and brighter planets, collectively, via the digital projector.

Since 1946, members have had free access to the observatory which is equipped with an 8" refractor, counterbalanced by a 12" Newtonian reflector. The refractor is used mostly to view the moon and brighter objects, including the Sun projected as a 15" disk onto a screen fastened to the tailpiece. Unfortunately, the location of the observatory, close to the city centre, no longer permits good views of deep-sky objects - if, indeed, it ever did.

Left: 8" refracting telescope

The Godlee double telescopes (made by Grubb of Dublin), which have been in regular use since 1903, are rather unusual although the precedent for this combination had been set 16 years earlier, when Dr Isaac Roberts discussed with Sir Howard Grubb the particular requirements of a large astrographic reflector subsequently erected at Roberts's private observatory at Maghull near Liverpool in April 1885. Here, a 20" Newtonian designed for taking photographs at the prime focus was counterbalanced by a 7" refractor for visual use. On 10 October 1887 Dr Roberts became the first to photograph the spiral structure of the "Andromeda Nebula" (as the Andromeda Galaxy was referred to, at that time) using this instrument. The observatory was later moved to Crowborough, Sussex, from where, in 1893, Roberts published his important 'Photographs of Stars, Star Clusters and Nebulae'.
If you examine the large photograph of the 8" refractor, the 12" Newtonian reflector can be seen behind.

Right: 12" Newtonian reflector

The Godlee telescopes could therefore be regarded as a tried and tested combination in which the City, members of the branch and, indeed, Sir Howard could have every confidence. The ancillary 6" f/6 plate camera mounted on the refractor was an obvious choice for wide field photography, particularly for mapping starfields and for comets. Again there were precedents in the large number of short focal length astrographic lenses of similar aperture in use at the time in America, some of which had been supplied by Sir Howard after trial and error designs had been tested at Greenwich.

Close-up of the 8" refracting telescope showing the ancillary 6" f/6 plate camera and declination adjustment.

The Society

The prestigious Kopal Lecture is given annually by an astronomer from the University of Manchester's Department of Astronomy or Radio Astronomy in honour of an old friend, the late Emeritus Professor Zdenek Kopal, Manchester's first Professor of Astronomy.

Members meet every Thursday at the Godlee Observatory (except when a public lecture is taking place and during Christmas/New Year week), when slide shows, digital image shows, informal talks and occasional 'workshops' as mentioned above take place. Of course the telescopes are also used, weather permitting.

To keep members informed on the activities of the Society 'Current Notes' is published a number of times each year.

Godlee Observatory Co-ordinates
How to find the M.A.S.
Membership information