Headlines of Issue No 114 (June 2002)

• W Herschel's invention of lamp-micrometer and lucid disk micrometer (3)
  The third part of the study by Mr Masao Nakazaki, a society member.
  
  
• 100-year-old book on W Herschel
  About Herschel's biography written in 100 years ago, which drew people's attention at the 1st anniversary party of Toranomon Astronomical Hall last January.
  
  
• E-mail from St Laurence, Upton, Slough
  We received an e-mail from the church which has deep relationship with Herschel. Please visit their website: http://www.saint-laurence.org/.
  
  
• From the homepage of the Society
  Notice on Ms Nobuko Iizawa's private exhibition held at a gallery in Tokyo from 8th to 14th July.
  
  
• "Take a journey through the Star Vault"
  Please read the "Main article of the issue".
  
  
• Cloisonné works of Caroline's comets (1)
  An essay by Ms Nobuko Iizawa, a society member.
  
  
• 20 years with Elizabeth and Leslie Hilliard (2)
  The second part of the story by Mr Seiji Kimura, the General Secretary of the Society
  
  

Main article of the issue

"Take a journey through the Star Vault"

"Star", a Bath local paper dated 21st March said:

It may look like an ordinary house from the outside, but in the cellar of 19 New King Street there is a room which takes intrepid visitors on a journey into outer space. The Star Vault opened at the Museum last Saturday. Sir Patrick Moore who is the president of the William Herschel Society said: "The Museum is something which is quite unique and the new Star Vault will take the Museum into an assured and certain future." Set in one of the original vaults in the Museum, the Star Vault uses modern technology to link the work of Herschel with 21st century space travel and exploration.

The following is a quote from a CD-ROM titled as "Description of the Replica 7ft Telescope", edited by Mr Michael Tabb, a committee member of the William Herschel Society.

The William Herschel Society was founded in 1977 when Phillipa Savery drew on TV an astronomer Patrick Moore's attention to the likely demolition of New King Street. As the Society moved towards the objective of opening of the Herschel House as a Museum, it became clear that there was little chance of securing the loan of a genuine Herschel telescope for display. It occurred to me that it should be possible to make a replica 7 feet telescope. Unlike Herschel I have not served my optical apprenticeship, and for two years the telescope was without mirrors. We were fortunate that John Wall, then working at Greenwich Observatory, was willing to figure a glass speculum for us.