APPENDIX 8 
REPORT ON THE ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY 
Srr: I have the honor to submit the following report on the opera- 
tions of the Astrophysical Observatory for the fiscal year ended 
June 30, 1949: 
The Observatory includes two research divisions: (1) the Division 
of Astrophysical Research, concerned chiefly with solar radiation 
problems, and (2) the Division of Radiation and Organisms, con- 
cerned with the biological effects of radiation. 
During the year a new room adjoining the Director’s office was 
built for the administrative assistant and for the files of the Obeerva- 
tory. The resulting consolidation of needed information nsar at 
hand has materially improved the efficiency of operation. 
Considerable progress can be reported concerning the new revised 
editions of the Smithsonian Meteorological Tables and the Smith- 
sonian Physical Tables, mentioned in last year’s report. R. J. List, 
editor of the Meteorological Tables revision, had practically completed 
his manuscript at the end of the fiscal year. The difficult task of 
revising the Physical Tables, the last revision of which had been issued 
in 1934, was begun in September 1948 under the direction of Dr. 
W.E. Forsythe. An office in Cleveland, Ohio, and an assistant were 
furnished to Dr. Forsythe. At the close of the fiscal year he reports 
that approximately one-half of the tables for the new edition have 
been completed. 
(1) DIVISION OF ASTROPHYSICAL RESEARCH 
Previous to 1946 the Observatory had for many years maintained 
three high-altitude field stations for solar-constant observations. In 
1946 the Tyrone station, which for 7 years had been operated on 
Burro Mountain (altitude 8,000 ft.) in southwestern New Mexico, 
was abandoned because skies there had progressively deteriorated, 
mainly the result of increasing mining and smelting operations in that 
general region. As a temporary measure, to aid in certain studies 
referred to below under contract with the Quartermaster Corps, the 
Tyrone station equipment was transferred to and installed at Miami, 
Fla. Since then much effort has been spent to find the most suitable 
location for a third high-altitude field station to replace the aban- 
doned Tyrone site. In last year’s report we mentioned that after 
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