James Dunlop (1793-1848)
Extraordinary Explorer of the Southern Sky
Only two people discovered more large, bright deep sky objects than Dunlop.
They were the famous astronomers Sir William and his son Sir John Herschel.
Photo of Dunlop.
https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/collection-items/james-dunlop
Charles Messier, James Dunlop, William Herschel and John Herschel discovered two thirds of the large, bright star clusters, nebulae and galaxies in the night sky. Dunlop is not well known, the other three are famous.
Map. Dunlop was born at Dalry and Brisbane had an observatory near Largs, Scotland.
https://goo.gl/maps/naaVk2Y6y7B4LVG89
James Dunlop was born at Dalry, Scotland on 31 Oct 1793. When he was 14 years old, he moved 8.5km to Beith where he worked in a thread factory as a warehouse foreman. He was not well educated. At age 17 he made a telescope that was 4 feet (120 cm) long. On 25 June 1816 he married Jane Service (1790-1859) at Kilwinning, they had no children. Dunlop moved back to Dalry in 1818 and worked as a handloom weaver. The Patrick family introduced Dunlop to Sir Thomas Brisbane (1773-1860) in 1820. Brisbane had an observatory 3 km north of Largs. He was interested in astronomy for time keeping and navigation.
The remains of Brisbane’s first observatory near Largs, Scotland at latitude 55.817, long -4.861
Map.
https://goo.gl/maps/F2F9jP7p2Egcbv5C6
The new NSW Governor Brisbane sailed from England on 18 May 1821 on the ship Royal George and arrived in Sydney via Madeira and Rio on 7 November 1821. He was accompanied by Charles Rumker (1788-1862), a German astronomer, and James Dunlop. Dunlop was employed to maintain the instruments at the observatory. Brisbane was the sixth governor of NSW and set up his second observatory in Parramatta, 25km west of Sydney.
Between 11 March 1822 and 16 June 1823 Rumker and Dunlop observed between 2000 and 2300 stars for Brisbane’s star catalogue. Rumker then left the observatory after some disputes with Brisbane, and Dunlop carried on alone. Governor Brisbane left Sydney on 1 December 1825 and returned to Scotland on the ship Mary Hope via Cape Horn and Rio. Dunlop finished observing for a catalogue of 7385 stars on 2 March 1826.
Brisbane’s Parramatta observatory was at latitude -33.8124, long 150.9953
Map.
https://goo.gl/maps/uXAQuCznu6ZvCw758
Dunlop wrote “On the 7th March 1826 I removed from the (Parramatta) observatory to (James and Mary) Elders house” in Marsden St. He made two catalogues there. The first catalogue contained 629 clusters and nebulae and the second 253 double stars. The catalogue of clusters and nebulae was made on dark moonless nights between 27 April and 30 November 1826 using a 9” aperture (23cm) homemade reflector that was 9’ (275cm) long. Its speculum mirrors collected the same amount of light as a modern 6” (15cm) telescope. He also used Brisbane’s Banks refractor. It had a 3.25” (8.2cm) aperture and was 44” (110 cm) long.
Map showing the location of the Elder’s house, now part of the Woolpack Hotel.
https://goo.gl/maps/hHywGexU6HiXGeUz8
The Elder’s house was photographed in 1870 by the American and Australasian Photographic Company (R).
https://first.mhnsw.au/firsthhtpictu...sp?recno=38641
Dunlop made his catalogues from latitude -33.8141, long 151.0026.
Map.
https://goo.gl/maps/1pJrusfC4JeYMTfJA
Dunlop discovered an amazing 300 new southern deep sky objects in only 7 months, 28 in the Small Magellan Cloud (from 1 Aug to 6 Sep), 120 in the Large Magellan Cloud (from 3 Aug to 6 Nov) and 152 outside the two clouds: 67 open clusters, 53 galaxies, 23 globular clusters, 4 planetary nebulae, 3 nebulae and 2 dark nebulae. Nearly half of the 629 objects in Dunlop’s catalogue of clusters and nebulae turned out to be faint double stars because his homemade 9” telescope had poor resolution. He was not rich, well-educated and famous like W & J Herschel. They had an 18.5” (47cm) aperture telescope that was 20’ (6.1 m) long.
James and Jane Dunlop left Sydney for Scotland on 4 February 1827 on the ship Earl of Liverpool. He worked with Brisbane at his third observatory at Makerstoun, Scotland for the next 4 years (latitude 55.5792, long -2.5187). In London on 8 February 1828 Sir John Herschel awarded both Brisbane and Dunlop the Royal Astronomical Societies’ Gold Medals for their work.
Brisbane’s observatory at Makerstoun, Scotland on the River Tweed
Map.
https://goo.gl/maps/BntpvPsusTCHeAQo9
On 14 June 1831 the Dunlops sailed for NSW again on the ship Mary III with 151 female convicts. They arrived back in Sydney via Hobart nearly 5 months later on 6 November. Charles Rumker had been in charge of the Parramatta observatory from 10 May 1826 to 6 January 1829. After his departure it was vacant for nearly 3 years and became dilapidated. Dunlop repaired the building and the instruments, then operated the observatory from 1832 until his resignation on 18 August 1847. A house was built for the Dunlops next to the observatory. Unfortunately, his health started declining in 1835 and this hampered his observing. He retired to Boora Boora near Kincumber, NSW in October 1847, died on 23 September 1848 and was buried at St Paul’s Church.
Dunlop’s water front house (#465) at Boora Boora, Kincumber, NSW
Map.
https://goo.gl/maps/kgBD6qSvYiAi1412A
James Cook, Matthew Flinders, Thomas Mitchell and Charles Sturt helped to discover Australia.
James Dunlop discovered the universe above it.
The author's doctorate was on the first 3 catalogues of southern clusters and nebulae.