Telescope, 6" Refractor; Thomas Cooke & Sons; COB092
Telescope, 6" Refractor
About this object
6" refracting telescope; made by Thomas Cooke & Sons Ltd, York and London, after 1897. Most recently belonged to New Zealand television personality, artist and astronomer Peter Read from about 1956 to his death in 1981, at which time it was donated to Carter Observatory and used there in the Ruth Crisp dome until 1995. Prior to Peter Read, the telescope was acquired by Gary Nankivell who rebuilt and restored it.
The refractor's prior history is unclear, however it has been linked tenuously to Frank Hathaway Hitchings, George Robert Fail, and Godley Head, Christchurch.
Brass optical tube containing 2-element objective. Maker's mark at eyepiece end of tube: "THOMAS COOKE & SONS LTD LONDON & YORK". Modern finderscope attached. Equatorial mount, mostly painted black. Thomas Cooke & Sons Ltd gravity clock drive. Black painted pier, believed to have been fashioned from an old lamp post.
Manufacturer
Place Made Place NotesYork & London
Medium and MaterialsBrass, Steel, Glass.
Object numberCOB092
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