ON ESTABLISHING A SOLAR OBSERVATORY IN AUSTRALIA. 45 



Establishing a Solar Observatory in Australia. — Report of the 

 Committee, consisting of Professor H. H. Turner (Chair- 

 man), Professor W. G. Duffield (Secretunj), Kev. A. L. 

 CORTIE, Sir F. W. Dyson, and Professors A. S, Eddington, 

 H. F. Newall, J. W. Nicholson, and A. Schuster, 

 (Dratcn up by the Secretary.) 



The visit of the British Association to Austraha was made the occasion 

 for further representations to the Commonwealth Government of the 

 urgency of Austraha's co-operation in the work of solar observation. 

 The previous report of the Committee contained the official announce- 

 ment from the Commonwealth Government that in the scheme for the 

 organisation of services in connection with the Seat of Government at 

 Canberra provision had been made for the study of Solar Physics. The 

 Prime Minister received a deputation of members of the Committee 

 upon matters relating to the institution of this work in the Common- 

 wealth. 



Professor Orme Mas son, in introducing the deputation, referred to 

 the world-wide interest taken in the movement to establish a Solar 

 Observatory in Australia, and to the fact that so many British 

 asti'onomers had joined the party to Australia in spite of the counter- 

 attractions of a total solar eclipse in another part of the world. 



The Astronomer Eoyal said that he had, with others, urged upon 

 Mr. Batchelor the importance of sun work in Australia where suitable 

 facilities existed for its study apart from other astronomical questions. 

 Australia was most favourably situated geographically; he hoped that 

 the visiting astronomers would be able to leave Australia with the 

 assurance that, as soon as the war was over, the Observatory would 

 be a going concern. 



Professor Turner stated that one of the prime factors in determining 

 his acceptance of the Commonwealth's invitation to visit Australia 

 was the prospect of assisting in founding a Solar Observatory in that 

 country ; he stated that, though a promise of an observing station in 

 New Zealand had been made, solar radiation could not be undertaken 

 there, and, further, there was urgent need for solar physics investiga- 

 tions to be made further north. They had been regarding the sun too 

 long as a permanent source of light and heat ; all the tendencies of 

 modern science went to show the opposite — that it presented variations, 

 an inquiry into which might be of immense value to agriculture. Dis- 

 cussions with his astronomical colleagues had been embarrassed by the 

 war, which had made it seem doubtful whether it was the right moment 

 to ask anybody for anything at all ; but while it was obvious that 

 immediate action might be impossible, it seemed undesii'able to lose the 

 opportunity of putting on record the views of visiting astronomers and 

 tlieir enthusiasm for this great project. He hoped that the present 

 observatories in Australia would not be disturbed. 



