Janus: Airy's Transit Circle: observation and reduction ledgers and associated papers

RGO Archives/RGO 126 contains:
1	''Observations of Transits... with Transit Circle; and computations of Right Ascensions''
2	Observations of Transits of Clock and Azimuth Stars and ''computations of Right Ascensions''
3	Observations of transits recorded in ledgers entitled ''Wilson Programme''
4	''Observations of Zenith Distance with the Transit Circle... and computation of Geocentric North Polar Distance''
5	''North Polar Distances with Transit Circle''
6	''Transit Circle Star Corrections''
7	Associated papers and observation records

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Airy's Transit Circle: observation and reduction ledgers and associated papers

Title	Associated papers and observation records
Reference	RGO 126/7
Covering Dates	1850–1959
Extent and Medium	31 files; 7 volumes; paper

Content and context

The material in this sub-class comprises a variety of working papers relating to the adjustment of observation equipment (particularly the transit circle), the reduction of observations, and the production of star catalogues.

RGO Archives/RGO 126/7 contains:

Observation ledger containing ''Form 12'' entitled ''Ledger of Observations with the Transit Circle''. The volume has been used to collate observations of right ascension and north polar distance for objects on up to five specific dates.
1 volume (29.3 x 36.3cm); paper.

1909–1913

Observation ledger containing ''Form 310'' entitled ''Daily Ledger of Observations with the Transit Circle of Fundamental Stars in the Oxford Astrographic Zone''. The front half of the volume has been used to record a chronological series of observations 7 October 1912-31 December 1913. The back half of the volume has been used for observations in 1925 which marked with numbers from the star catalogue by Lewis Boss and are annotated ''Working Catalogue, Prime Vertical'' .
1 volume (29.3 x 36.3cm); paper.

1912–1925

Unbound ledger of daily observations of ''Boss Standard Stars (1059) minus Greenwich for North and South Stars'' with the transit circle, 1915-16, 1918-21; together with working papers and graphs.
4 files; paper.

1915–1921

Reduction ledger containing ''Form No. 2***'' entitled ''Calculations for reducing Imperfect Transits to the Transit over the Central Wire''.
1 volume; paper; Binding cracked and loose..

11 July 1924–24 Aug. 1929

Loose observation ledger pages entitled ''Form 12: Transit Circle Ledger of Stars for 1935.0''. The volume has been used to collate observations of right ascension and north polar distance for azimuth and clock stars.
6 files; paper.

1930–1939

Observation ledger containing ''Form No. 349'' entitled ''Transit Circle: Star Corrections by Finlay's Table''. Some forms for 1935-40 the are loosely enclosed in the back of the volume.
1 volume; paper.

22 Mar. 1931–29 July 1949

Observation ledger entitled ''R[ight] A[scension]; Airy Transit Circle; Tabular Stars: FK3 and Greenwich Places''.
1 file; paper.

26 May 1942

Reference cards and working tables giving values for reductions of observations affected by parallax, refraction etc. The files include, for example, a table giving the ''Correction Parallax-Mean Refraction, for the Moon on Meridian; for the latitude of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 13 April 1867''.
3 files; paper.

1850–1950

Notebook containing tables of ''intervals of wires of transit circle for circumpolar stars'', of ''factors for circumpolar stars'' (collimation, level, azimuth) and of ''precessions''.
1 volume; paper; Binding cracked and pages loose..

1872–1880

Two papers entitled ''Corrections to R[ight] A[scension] and N[orth] P[olar] D[istance] of Sirius and Procyon for Orbital Motion'', 30 October 1889; and ''Mean R[ight] A[scension] of Clock Stars for 1894'', 16 October 1893.
1 file; paper.

30 Oct. 1889–16 Oct. 1893

The Altazimuth Department's annotated working copy of P.H. Cowell's ''Refraction Tables arranged for use at Royal Observatory, Greenwich'' (HMSO, Edinburgh 1899); together with Appendix 1 to the 1898 edition.
1 volume; paper.

1898–1899

''Table of Level and Azimuth Factors for every 10'' from 0° 10' to 4° and every 1' from 4° to 5°''.
1 file; paper.

1900–1925

File entitled ''Mr Cullen's papers on R-D''. Rough calculations of accuracy of ''direct'' and ''reflexion'' observations and calculations for corrections; together with graphs and copy of ''Annales de L'Observatoire Royal de Belgique'' Troisieme Serie, Tome III, Fascicule 3 (Gembloux, 1948).
1 file; paper.

1900–1950

Notebook containing tables of ''Flexure''. The item is marked ''Volume XII''.
1 volume; paper; The pages are heavily worn and covers detached..

16 Mar. 1911–1 Jan. 1929

15-16

''Determination of Personal Equations with the Hand Driven Travelling Wire Micrometer''. Arranged as yearly sets of observations by name of observer.
2 files; paper.

1915–1930

R[efelxion?] and D[irect?] observations made with the horizontal wire; together with a note about the continued use of the wire. Arranged as yearly sets of observations by name of observer.
1 file; paper.

1924–1926

File entitled ''Airy Transit Circle; Recording or Z.D. Micrometer drum''. The file includes an unbound ledger entitled ''FK3 Reduction'', 26 May 1942; and a set of strips of perforated card mounted and annotated 26 May 1942-24 November 1950.
1 file; paper.

1942–1950

Items annotated ''From the miscellaneous papers box First (and Second) Greenwich Catalogue 1925''. These files comprise working papers for star catalogues primarily relating to comparisons of sets of data and observation and equipment errors. They include, for example, comparisons of transit circle declination and latitude variation observations made with the Cooke floating telescope.
6 files; paper.

1921–1930

20-21

Draft ledger entitled ''Second Greenwich Catalogue for 1925 (1922 to 1930): Greenwich Clock Stars, 12h and 6h groups'' and associated charts.
2 files; paper.

1931

''Airy Transit-Circle: Working Catalogue of Clock Starts and Azimuth Stars: Epoch 1953.0''. Four sets of notes entitled ''Collimation, Level, and Azimuth Factors'' and dated 1950 and 1953, are enclosed.
1 file; paper.

1940–1959

Working papers in a file entitled ''First Greenwich Catalogue for 1950 (1931 to 1940): Greenwich Clock Stars, 12h and 6h groups''. Largely comprising comparisons of data (e.g. ''results of 1922-30 and 1931-40 compared and combined'').
1 file; paper.

1950