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Basil Brown's Press Cuttings

The following is transcribed from part of a collection of newspaper cuttings by Brown, now held in Suffolk Record Office. Unfortunately there are few clues as to the papers from which the cuttings are taken, the material is undated, and there is no certainty that they are listed in chronological order.

Suffolk Record Office HD3096/3/1

There is a loose insert of a copy of the English Mechanic vol. 120, no. 3105, issue date 26 September 1924. (Brown's article on "The Star Catalogues" appears on p. 140.)

Page	Content
Inside front cover	A cutting describing Europa being occulted by Jupiter at 6.34pm. It emerged at 8.58pm but entered into eclipse at 8.59pm.
1-4	Nothing of astronomical interest.
5	When the Sun Explodes.
6	The Nebula in Andromeda. Comets and the Solar System.
7-8	Nothing of astronomical interest.
9	The Sun and the Weather.
10	Relation Between Solar Corona and Prominences.
11	Nothing of astronomical interest.
12	The Brocken Spectre (the apparently enormous and magnified shadow of an observer, cast upon the upper surfaces of clouds opposite the Sun). Meteorite That Fell Near Wigan (now known as the Appley Bridge meteorite which fell at around 21:45 on 13 October 1914). The Rotation of Neptune.
13-14	Nothing of astronomical interest.
15	How Far Can We See Into Space? New Star Discovered, Observation by a Lady at Stowmarket. (A nova in Aquila discovered by Felix de Roy from Thornton Heath at 10.45pm on 08 June 1918 was also seen by Alice Grace Cook. The object is nowadays catalogued as V603 Aquilae.)
16	Continuation of piece on discovery of V603 Aquilae with a portrait of Alice Grace Cook. Astronomy: The Open Door (a monthly astronomy column).
17	Astronomy: The Open Door (February).
18	Stars Above the Horizon in the Latitude of London at 10 O'Clock in the Evening in the Middle of March. Astronomy: The Open Door (March).
19	Astronomy: The Open Door (February). The Study of Astronomy, Annual Meeting of the Chaldaean Society.
20	Astronomy: The Open Door (November).
21	Astronomy: The Open Door (December).
22	Astronomy: The Open Door (April). Astronomy: The Open Door (May).
23	Astronomy: The Open Door (June).
24	Astronomy: The Open Door (July).
25	Continuation of previous article. Meteors That Suggest an Unseen Planet. Sunspots.
26	Astronomy: The Open Door (September).
27	Astronomy: the October Sky. A chart of the "Harvest Moon" for 1919.
28	Nothing of astronomical interest. (A personal piece on Mr W T Wait, President of Ku-ring-gai Shire Council, Sydney, New South Wales.)
29	The Evening Sky in December (diagram). The Evening Sky in March (diagram).
30	Star 260,000,000 Miles in Diameter.
31	Une Visite a Flammarion (in French). Star 420 Million Miles in Diameter. Giants and Dwarfs.
32	Stars of the Month (February).
33	Signals from Space: Miss Grace Cook's Theories of Their Origin.
34	Monthly sky guide. Is It a Comet?
35	Stars of the Month (May). Sun in Eclipse Today. Centenarian Astronomer.
36	Two pieces on a solar eclipse.
37	Lyrid Meteors and Mock Suns.
38	Nothing of astronomical interest.
39	Searching for Stars.
40	Life from Other Worlds. New Theories About Mars and Venus.
41	Mars Coming Near.
42	Wonder Film of an Eclipse. The Sky in May chart.
43	Notes to accompany the chart on the previous page.
44	Where do Stars Come From?
45	Nothing of astronomical interest.
46	Astronomy - The Open Door. March - retrospective. Astronomy-April.
47	Conclusion of preceding report with sketch of Saturn made on 12 March at x250 power. There is also a chart of the sky with Mars in the south-west in Libra, Saturn in Leo and Jupiter and Neptune in Cancer (signed "Gnomon").
48	Sky Chart for June. Nonsense About Light Signals. Mystery of Giant Red Star. Some sky notes which refer to nova Aquilae 1918 and a lunar eclipse "tomorrow night". (At less than one minute past midnight Greenwich Time, the Moon will enter the Earth's shadow proper until 2.27am.
inside back cover	Sky Notes for June, recording the discovery of a nova in Cygnus on 09 May and a comet. (The discoveries were announced by the same observer, supposedly trustworthy, who then declared that neither object existed. The nova was sufficiently newsworthy to be mentioned in the broadcast news of 09 May and a circular was issued by the then recently established news dissemination system of the British Astronomical Association.) Is Mars Changing Shape?

Suffolk Record Office HD3096/3/2

Page	Content
Inside front cover	Riddle of Red Planet.
1	Pieces concluded.
2	Visitors from Space (meteorites).
3	Map of eclipse off San Diego, USA. Martians.
4	Conclusion of Martians.
5	Stars of the Month-The Sky in August.
6	Sky chart to accompany previous piece and sky chart for September.
7	Sky notes for September.
8-13	Nothing of astronomical interest.
14-16	Venus and the Transit of 1882 by Professor S P Langley, Director of Allegheny Observatory, Pittsburgh, USA. Also on page 16, "December 1919, On Nov. 7^th, Mr Whitrod, of Diss, very kindly came, on the invitation of Mr Basil Brown, member of the British Astronomical Association, to give a lecture on Astronomy in the School. There was a very fair attendance of adults and children, and we were much interested in the beautiful lantern slides, described by Mr Whitrod, who had the happy knack of presenting his expert knowledge in a simple form, well adapted to be understood by his audience. Mr Palmer kindly lent and worked his lantern, and to him and Mr Basil Brown, as well as Mr Whitrod for his kind and gratuitous services, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded on the proposition of the Rector. A collection amounting to 12/3 was taken at the door, to be devoted to travelling expenses, cleaning of the room, etc. - the balance, if any, to be used by Mr Palmer for some purpose connected with the School." [See note 1.] Dog-Suns.
17	Spot of 700,000,000 Square Miles. Note on the discovery of Jupiter's sixth satellite by observers using the Crossley Reflector of Lick Observatory.
18	Nothing of astronomical interest.
19	Heavens Aflame with Shooting Stars. (Orionids and Geminids?)
20-21	Nothing of astronomical interest.
22	Planet Which Fell on Earth (meteorites). Meteor of Extraordinary Brilliance. Zodiacal Light.
23-25	Nothing of astronomical interest.
26	20,000,000 Meteorites Every Day. Meteorite Hits a Statue (Abingdon, Berks). Has the Earth Four Moons? "Comet" Proves to be a Planet.
27	Nothing of astronomical interest.
28	Mystery of Lost Comet (Comet D'Arrest). Night Sky in October (by E Walter Maunder, described as formerly of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich).
30	Nothing of astronomical interest.
29	Conclusion of "Night Sky" piece which also deals with the zodiacal light.
31	New Comet. (First comet to be discovered this year from the Kasan Observatory.)
32	Another Comet (not to be confused with the one announced yesterday in the Daily Chronicle). Solar Fireworks and Weather (on solar "protuberances").
33	Prayer Book Moon Puzzle (on the date of Easter). Shooting Stars.
34	Nothing of astronomical interest.
35	Night Sky in November by E Walter Maunder.
36	A Star for Everybody (report on Father Corties' lecture at the Garrett Memorial Hall, Ipswich, known to have taken place on 10 November 1923).
37	A Lost Comet.
38-39	Nothing of astronomical interest.
40	Hide and Seek with a Comet. (Are Comet Reid and Comet D'Arrest the same object?)
41	Telescope 36 Feet Long. (A 26-inch aperture photographic instrument probably destined for New Zealand.)
42-49	Nothing of astronomical interest.
50	Noted Stars Eclipse Tomorrow Evening (lunar occultation of Aldebaran). Planet Eclipse by Moon (lunar occultation of Uranus, 22:44 to 23:46 UT, 20 October 1923).
51	Nothing of astronomical interest.
52	Astronomy notes for January (includes a retrospective of the past year refering to a solar eclipse in September 1923).
53	Sky chart to accompany notes on preceding page.
55-58	Nothing of astronomical interest.
59	Only Six Trillion Miles Away (object no. 6822 described by Dr Crommelin to a "Daily Chronicle" reporter).
60-61	Nothing of astronomical interest.
62	Sky Notes.
63	Sky chart to accompany notes on preceding page. February.
64-67	Nothing of astronomical interest.
68	The Moon and Weather. The Loveliest Sight in the Heavens (Saturn).
69	Nothing of astronomical interest.
70	Diagram of the star field for the eclipse of the Sun on 10 September 1923, and notes.
71	Sky chart to accompany notes on preceding page, "September" (by E Walter Maunder).
72	Stars of the Month. The Sky in April.
73	Stars of the Month. The Sky in March.
74-75	Nothing of astronomical interest.
76	Stars of the Month. The Sky in May. (Notes mention the transit of Mercury on 08‑09 May 1924. Brown is known to have observed the concluding stages of the phenomenon.)
77	Stars of the Month. The Sky in June.
78	Stars of the Month. The Sky in July.
79	Notes to accompany star chart on preceding page.
80	Nothing of astronomical interest.
81	The Night Sky in June.
82 onwards	Blank

Notes

[1]

Mr Whitrod, thought to be Henry Frederic Whitrod (03 June 1851-12 March 1923) a retired pharmacist and dentist of Diss.

Bill Barton, FRAS