Observing weather during the month has been very poor not only cloudy but with very poor definition. Weather for the past year has been much worse than previous years but this is only probably a temporary phase.
The most important work of the month has been the discovery and announcement of the most massive star known.
Director J. S. Plaskett obtained 22 spectrograms on 22 nights, 14 with the new ultra-violet spectrograph. Measured about 30 plates for radial velocity and computed the orbit with least squares corrections of the star BD +6 1309, a star about 4 times more massive than any hitherto discovered. Usual correspondence and administrative work
Research Astronomer W. E. Harper obtained 57 spectrograms on 3 nights and measured 17 spectrograms for radial velocity and 40 for absolute magnitude. Computed mean parallaxes for certain classes of K-type stars from parallactic motions and from the tan and upsilon components of proper motion.
Astronomer R. K. Young obtained 42 spectrograms on 5 nights and measured 240 plates for absolute magnitude. He measured 5 plates for radial velocity. Constructed graphs for determination of angle and computed parallax for stars of K5-K9 type. Spent 2 days for an outside duty lecture at Cumberland/
Assistant Astronomer H. H. Plaskett obtained 15 spectrograms on 4 nights. He spent almost his total time in computation for and writing up a paper on The Spectrum of O-type Stars for the observatory publications. Prepared an article for the Colonist on Sources of Energy and prepared and gave a lecture before the RASC on Atomic Structure
[The Colonist article appeared in the July 2, 1922 edition, Ed]
Clerk-Stenographer Miss H. R. Keay typed Colonist articles and proof read 8 numbers of the observatory publications. Entered plates, filed and entered back correspondence. Entered data on index cards for parallax determination.
Instrument Maker Foreman T. T. Hutchison assisted with observations on 12 nights. Completed the wiring and adaptation for the ultraviolet spectrograph.
[The star that J. S. Plaskett found to be the most massive known came to be known as Plaskett’s Star. Plaskett’s discovery was covered widely by newspapers in Canada and worldwide as exhibited by this article that appeared on July 14, 1922 in the Central New Jersey Home News., Ed.]
