Wood, Harley Weston (1911 - 1984)

Summary

Harley Weston Wood was an astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of astrometry during and after his time as New South Wales Government Astronomer between 1943 and 1974. In this period he completed sections of the Astrographic Catalogue left unfinished with the closure of the Melbourne Observatory. Weston published three books in the field of astrometry, The Southern Sky (1965), Unveiling the universe (1965) and Planets, suns and galaxies. He was influential in the organisation of astronomy in Australia and heavily involved in preparations for the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, held in Sydney in 1973.

Details

Chronology

1929 - 1933

Education - Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours in Mathematics and Physics), University of Sydney

1934

Education - Master of Science in Mathematics (Dynamical Astronomy and Relativity), University of Sydney

1936 - 1941

Career position - Assistant Astronomer, Sydney Observatory

1939

Career position - Elected Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society

1939 - 1984

Career position - Member, Royal Society of New South Wales

1941 - 1943

Career position - Acting Government Astronomer, Sydney Observatory

1943 - 1974

Career position - Government Astronomer, Sydney Observatory

1949 - 1950

Career event - President, Royal Society of New South Wales

1959 - 1971

Career position - Lectured on spherical astronomy in the Dept. Of Applied Mathematics, University of Sydney

1962

Award - Royal Society of New South Wales Medal

1965

Award - Awarded Doctor of Science for Contributions to Astrometry, University of Sydney

1966 - 1968

Career event - Foundation President of the Astronomical Society of Australia

1966 - 1974

Career position - Chairman, National Committee for Astronomy, Australian Academy of Science

1978 - 1984

Award - Life Member, Astronomical Society of Australia

Related entries

Published resources

Books

• Wood, H. W., Sydney Observatory, 1858 to 1958 (Sydney: 1958). Details
• Wood, Harley, The southern sky : astronomy through your own eyes (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1965), 120 pp. Details
• Wood, Harley, Unveiling the universe : the aims and achievements of astronomy (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1967), 240 pp. Details
• Wood, Harley, Planets, suns and galaxies: exploring our environment in space (Cremorne, N.S.W.: Angus and Robertson, 1973), 163 pp. Details
• Wood, Harley, Sydney Observatory 1958 to 1981 (Sydney: Government Printer, 1982), 14 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Wood, Harley, 'Dunlop, James (1793-1848), astronomer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 1: 1788 - 1850 A-H, Douglas Pike, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1966), p. 338. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010322b.htm. Details
• Wood, Harley, 'Tebbutt, John (1834-1916), astronomer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 6: 1851 - 1890 R - Z, Bede Nairn, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1976), pp. 251-252. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A060268b.htm. Details
• Wood, Harley, 'Smalley, George Robarts (1822-1870), astronomer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 6: 1851 - 1890 R - Z, Bede Nairn, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1976), pp. 136-137. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A060156b.htm. Details
• Wood, Harley, 'Baker, Henry Herbert (1867-1940), optician' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1979), p. 150. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070151b.htm. Details
• Wood, Harley, 'Brooks, Joseph (1874-1918), surveyor and astronomer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1979), pp. 432-433. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070438b.htm. Details
• Wood, Harley, 'Furber, Thomas Frederick (1855-1924)' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 8: 1891 - 1939 Cl-Gib, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1981), pp. 599-600. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A080617b.htm. Details
• Wood, Harley, 'Gale, Walter Frederick (1865-1945)' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 8: 1891 - 1939 Cl-Gib, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1981), pp. 609-610. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A080626b.htm. Details
• Wood, Harley, 'Lenehan, Henry Alfred (1843-1908), Astronomer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 10: 1891 - 1939 Lat-Ner, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1986), pp. 73-74. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100069b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Robertson, W. H., 'Obituary - Wood, Harley Weston', Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 26 (2) (1985), 219-228. http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?bibcode=1985QJRAS..26..225R&db_key=AST&page_ind=0&plate_select=NO&data_type=GIF&type=SCREEN_GIF&classic=YES. Details
• Wood, H., 'History of Science in Australia. Pt. 6. Early astronomers', Scan, 1 (6) (1968), 18-23. Details
• Wood, H., 'Sydney Observatory 1858-1983', Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 5 (2) (1983), 273-281. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1323358000017094. Details
• Wood, H. W., 'Sydney Observatory. its History and Work', Australian Journal of Science, 1 (1939), 189-193. Details
• Wood, H. W., 'Astronomy in Australia. Presidential Adddress', Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales, lxxxiv (1950), 3-16. Details

Resources

• 'Wood, Harley Weston (19110731-19840626)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1514346. Details

Theses

• Stevenson, T., 'Measuring the stars and observing the less visible: Australia's participation in the Astrographic Catalogue and Carte du Ciel', Thesis, University of Sydney, 2015, 381 pp. Details