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Report of Representative on Carter Observatory Board
Board. The constitution of the Board at March 31, 1958, was as follows:–Royal Society of New Zealand representatives: Dr. M. A. F. Barnett, Professor D. Walker; Wellington City Council representatives: Mr. E. P. Norman, Mr. M. A. Castles; N.Z. Government representatives: Mr. R. G. Dick, Mr. R. C. Hayes, Professor F. F. Miles, Mr. W. Pilliet Pringle.
Mr. E. P. Norman continued in office as chairman, and Dr. M. A. F. Barnett as Vice-Chairman. Owing to health, Mr. J. T. Martin resigned in December, and the Board has lost a most valuable and enthusiastic member. The vacancy his not yet been filled.
Building and Equipment, These have been maintained in a satisfactory condition,
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Educational Work. The Observatory has continued to be open to the public every Friday evening except in the months of December, January, and February. Telescope demonstrations have been given on all clear evenings, and on all occasions lectures delivered.
Attendances for the year totalled 2,114, giving a total of 26,054 since 1946.
External lectures have been given and newspaper articles supplied whenever possible upon request.
Research Work. Sunspot observations by projection have continued, the results of which are distributed to overseas observatories as regularly as possible. Owing to continual defects in the solar camera mechanism, photospheric photographs were temporarily stopped during the year, although it is hoped this may resume in due course. Pressure of other work, mostly of an administrative nature, has prevented full use of the spectrohelioscope.
Auroral work has continued as formerly, and is financed mainly from a contract with the Air Force Cambridge Research Centre, U.S.A. Under this same contract the services of Dr. M. Gadsden working on high dispersion spectroscopy at Invercargill have been made available to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Radio disturbance forecasts have been supplied to the Post and Telegraph Department, the New Zealand Broadcasting Service, and Industrial Research.
A special camera for photographing the moon and surrounding star background, was received from the U.S. Naval Observatory. It was in process of being adapted to the telescope at the end of the year.
With the active co-operation of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, arrangements are well in hand for a combined United Kingdom-New Zealand Expedition to Atafu Island, in the Tokelau Group, to observe the total solar eclipse of 1958, October 12. Instruments on loan from the United Kingdom to New Zealand for this purpose have already been received at the Observatory.
General Astronomical Information. General astronomical information has been supplied to official and professional interests as required.
Staff. The staff consisted of Mr. I. L. Thomsen (Director), Mr. G. W. McQuistan (Assistant), and Miss M. O. Jones (clerk). Under the U.S.A. contract, Mr. P. Crowe and Miss R. Taylor were employed on auroral research. To assist on public demonstration evenings, Messrs. G. A. Eiby, R. B. Orton. P. A. Reed and R. D. Belesky acted as honorary assistants.
D. Walker, Representative of the Royal Society of New Zealand on Carter Observatory Board. April 24, 1958.