Cooke's Tale 5

　Mr. Masashi Nishimura (Nishimura Photo Laboratory) was passionate about the utilization of the Cooke Telescope, which had been sleeping in the dome of the Kobe Marine Observatory. Mr. Nishimura also interacted with members of the Kobe Branch of the Toa Astronomical Society, and was enthusiastic about the transfer of the Cooke Telescope to Kobe City.

　Mr. Nishimura requested an estimate from Nishimura Seisakusho for the restoration of the Cooke Telescope. He received a reply from Mr. Shigejiro Nishimura, the then president of Nishimura Seisakusho. It is very valuable, so I would like to extract it from "Chasing the Sun Again". The date is May 4, 1967.

　I was surprised that the 25cm refractor, one of the best telescopes in Japan, was in such disrepair. I was surprised to see that one of the best telescopes in Japan, a 25cm refractor, was in such disrepair. The instrument is in good condition if it is used, but if it is not used, dust, rust, and lack of oil will cause it to malfunction as soon as it is seen. What a shame.

　Today, there is no way to restore them except to overhaul them. If it is to be used in its current location, it should be overhauled, painted and adjusted on site. If the telescope is to be moved, it can be transported from the site to the factory, where the overhaul and painting processes will be completed, and then transported and assembled when the new site is completed.

　In my experience of repairing objective lenses and old telescopes, objective lenses can be disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled to achieve their original efficiency. In other words, there is no need to worry about it because there is no cause of failure.

　Eyepiece lenses are almost always missing, according to some people. However, by using a Japanese eyepiece instead of this type of lens, it is sufficient to obtain a better star image than in the past.

　The instrument is in a neglected state and needs to be overhauled. The moving parts are conspicuously out of oil and rusted, and even if you force it to move, it will only move sluggishly. In other words, the tracking of the star image is not working properly.

　Although this work was made about 50 years ago, the accuracy and design of this work cannot be said to be obsolete even by modern people. It is time to scrap it or rehabilitate it, but if we were to make a similar one today, it would cost 10-15 million yen.

　If it is rehabilitated, it can be guaranteed to last for 50 years under future conditions of use.

　The future dome of the observatory should be 7 meters (currently 6.5 meters). It will be an electric rotating type. The observation ladder should be light and easy to use. Also, it should be wide. The entrance and exit should be wide. The current doorway is too narrow for carrying in the telescope. The telescope is for ocular use, but it would be very good if a sunspot camera were added.

(Chasing the Sun Again. Kobe City Board of Education, Telescope History Editorial Committee. (Excerpted from Kobe Shimbun Publishing Center, 1984, P55-56) 

　The Kyoto Branch of the Toa Astronomical Society (Kyosei-kai) visited the Marine Meteorological Observatory on a friendly visit. For the members of the Astronomical Society, the 25cm Cooke Telescope, a sibling of the Kasan Observatory, must have had a special place in their hearts. Also, since the Kobe Branch held its meetings at the Kobe Marine Observatory, the members of the Kobe Branch must have been curious about the Cooke Telescope, which was lying unused. Mr. Masashi Nishimura, together with Mr. Sanenobu Fukui (later Director of the Toa Astronomical Society), continued to lobby enthusiastically for the transfer of the Cooke Telescope to Kobe City. As a result, in 1967, the transfer of the Cooke Telescope from the Kobe Marine Observatory to Kobe City was realized. The transfer price was 50,000 yen. The price was the same as the price at the time of purchase, but the monetary value was very different, and the price was downgraded from about 150 million yen to 50,000 yen.

　If the Cooke telescope had a personality, it would have resented the transfer at the price of scrap. But on the other hand, it would have been rescued from the dimly lit dome, refurbished, and expected to make a spectacular re-debut.

　Above is a view of the Cooke telescope being taken out of the Marine Meteorological Station.

　The Cooke telescope was transported from the Kobe Oceanographic and Meteorological Observatory, packed in 17 boxes, and taken to the warehouse of the Kobe Municipal Central Gymnasium in Chuo Ward, Kobe City. It was thought that the telescope would be put to immediate use, but at that time, Kobe City had neither the facilities nor the space to install it. The telescope has been in storage for 17 years. Mr. Masashi Nishimura, who actively promoted the transfer of the telescope to Kobe City, passed away in 1978 without seeing the revival of the Cooke Telescope.

　During the time that the Cooke Telescope was asleep, the construction of Port Island (Phase 1: 1966-1981, Phase 2: 1987-2010) off the coast of Kobe Port, which would eventually become its resting place, proceeded steadily. It was as if they were preparing for the return of the Cooke Telescope.

(References)

Chasing the Sun Again, Kobe City Board of Education Telescope Editorial Committee, Kobe Shimbun Publishing Center, 1984

The History of Amateur Astronomy in Japan, The History of Amateur Astronomy in Japan Editorial Committee, Koseisha Kosei-kaku, 1987

Kobe-kko Archive HP,KOBE Jazz 50 years