Dun  Echt Heliometer Also known as the Lord Lindsay Heliometer and 4-inch Heliometer. 4.2 inch (10.6 cm)

Index:

Summary; History; Current; Technical; Sources; Links; Gallery:

In brief

Important  Contributions:
First  systematic measurement of stellar parallaxes. The result  was “outstandingly successful”.

Description:
Sir David Gill purchased this instrument privately from Lord  Lindsay of Dun Echt and with this instrument embarked upon the first systematic measurement of stellar parallaxes.

Historical Background

Owners:

• Lord Lindsay
• David  Gill (1880 -?)

Where  Located:

• Dun  Echt
• Cape Observatory 1880 (December) –

Current  Information

Present  Location:
Royal Observatory, Edinburgh

Owner:

Status:

Condition:

Technical  Details

Type: Reflector / Refractor
Aperture:
Focal Length:
Mirror / Lens:
Mounting: Later used as mounting for the 18-inch  telescope.
Attachments:
Manufacturer:
Building: Housed in a dome on the North-East side of the Cape Observatory. This building was later demolished and a new Grubb dome built for the Cox Hargreaves 18-inch telescope.[Koorts – British, pp. 52 -53.]

Sources

Link to the Main Bibliography Section and more information about Sources.

Documentation:

Pictorial  Sources:

Bibliography:

• Koorts, W.: The 1882 transit of Venus: The British expeditions to South Africa; MNASSA April 2004, Vol. 63 nos. 3 & 4, pp. 34 – 57.
• Moore, P. & Collins, P., Astronomy in Southern Africa, p. 74 -75. (General Source)

 

 

Links

Gallery

The Dun Echt Heliometer, also known as the Lord Lindsay Heliometer.
Source: Willie Koorts

The Dun Echt Heliometer installed in Mauritius for the 1874 transit of Venus.
Source: Sky and Telescope, May 2004.