Harry Hemley Plaskett FRS (July 5, 1893 – January 26, 1980) was a Canadian astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of solar physics,

astronomical spectroscopy Astronomical spectroscopy is the study of astronomy using the techniques of spectroscopy to measure the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, ultraviolet, X-ray, infrared and radio waves that radiate from stars and othe ...

and spectrophotometry. From 1932 to 1960, he served as the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Oxford, and in 1963 was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Life

Harry Hemley Plaskett was born in Toronto, Ontario on July 5, 1893. His parents were Rebecca Hemley and John Stanley Plaskett, who at the time was working as a machinist in the Department of Physics at the University of Toronto, but who would later go on to become the first director of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria, and a

Gold Medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

winner in his own right. After receiving his B.A. from Toronto in 1916, he joined the

Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December ...

, serving in the field artillery in France from 1917-1918. Following this, and a year spent working with Professor Alfred Fowler at

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, he returned to Canada, and was appointed to the staff of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria, B.C. In 1928, he was appointed Professor of Astrophysics at Harvard University, and in 1932 succeeded H. H. Turner as Savilian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Oxford. In May, 1936 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was president of the Royal Astronomical Society just after World War II. His time at Oxford was interrupted by war service: from 1939 to 1940, he was an anti-aircraft officer, and from 1940 to 1944 he worked on experimental navigation for the

Ministry of Aircraft Production Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

. From 1951 to 1955 he worked alongside

Walter Stibbs Douglas Walter Noble Stibbs FRSE FRAS (1919–2010) was a 20th century Australian astronomer and astrophysicist, remembered for his work at St Andrews University where he held the Napier Chair in Astronomy for 30 years. The Prof Walter Stibbs L ...

. He retired from Oxford in 1960, becoming a Professor Emeritus of the university, but remained active in astronomical research almost until the end of his life.

Family

He had married in 1921 Edith Alice Smith, with whom he had two children, Barbara and John Stanley. They were to remain married until his death in 1980.

Honors

The asteroid

2905 Plaskett 2905 Plaskett, provisional designation , is a stony Gefionian asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 January 1982, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at the Ander ...

, discovered by Edward Bowell in 1982, was named in his and his father's memory.

References

1893 births 1980 deaths Military personnel from Toronto Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery officers Canadian military personnel of World War I Canadian Army personnel of World War II Scientists from Toronto 20th-century Canadian astronomers University of Toronto alumni Harvard University faculty Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society Canadian Fellows of the Royal Society Savilian Professors of Astronomy Presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society Fellows of the American Physical Society {{astronomer-stub