William Edmund Harper
Encyclopedia
William Edmund Harper, March 20, 1878–June 14, 1940, (age 62) was a Canadian
astronomer
.
William Harper was born in Dobbington, Ontario
. He attended high school in Owen Sound
, then taught for three years following his graduation. When he had sufficient funds, in 1902 he entered the University of Toronto
.
He graduated in 1906 and became a member of the staff at the Dominion Observatory
in Ottawa
, Canada
. He worked with the astrophysics staff, measuring the radial velocity
of stars and determining the orbits of spectroscopic binaries. (The later are binary star systems that could not be resolved with a telescope, but their orbital motions could be studied due to the doppler effect
on their spectrum
.)
He was awarded his masters degree in 1907 from the University of Toronto. In 1909 he was married to Maude Eugenia Hall. The couple would have two daughters.
The need for more powerful equipment was becoming apparent, and Dr. Harper suggested Victoria
as a suitable location. In 1913, the government approved the project and Dr. Harper was sent to make measurements of the observing conditions at various sites. Observatory Hill
was finally selected as the location. In 1918 the observatory was completed, and a year later Dr. Harper was transferred to the site. He would become assistant director in 1924, then the observatory's second director in 1936.
Most of his career was spent in the spectroscopic
study of star
s. He published about 50 papers, and in 1924 a table of 1100 parallax
measurements. He was also a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
, being awarded their gold medal, then becoming a Fellow in 1913. He serving as president of that organization 1928-29. In 1935 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto.
By 1938 he was suffering from ill-health, which was further undermined by a bout of pneumonia
while representing Canada at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union
in Stockholm
. He died from a relapse of the disease.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
William Harper was born in Dobbington, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He attended high school in Owen Sound
Owen Sound, Ontario
Owen Sound , the county seat of Grey County, is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada...
, then taught for three years following his graduation. When he had sufficient funds, in 1902 he entered the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
He graduated in 1906 and became a member of the staff at the Dominion Observatory
Dominion Observatory
The Dominion Observatory was an astronomical observatory in Ottawa, Canada that operated from 1902 to 1970. The Observatory was also an institution within the Canadian Federal Government. The observatory grew out of the Department of the Interior's need for the precise coordinates and timekeeping...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He worked with the astrophysics staff, measuring the radial velocity
Radial velocity
Radial velocity is the velocity of an object in the direction of the line of sight . In astronomy, radial velocity most commonly refers to the spectroscopic radial velocity...
of stars and determining the orbits of spectroscopic binaries. (The later are binary star systems that could not be resolved with a telescope, but their orbital motions could be studied due to the doppler effect
Doppler effect
The Doppler effect , named after Austrian physicist Christian Doppler who proposed it in 1842 in Prague, is the change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to the source of the wave. It is commonly heard when a vehicle sounding a siren or horn approaches, passes, and recedes from...
on their spectrum
Spectrum
A spectrum is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum. The word saw its first scientific use within the field of optics to describe the rainbow of colors in visible light when separated using a prism; it has since been applied by...
.)
He was awarded his masters degree in 1907 from the University of Toronto. In 1909 he was married to Maude Eugenia Hall. The couple would have two daughters.
The need for more powerful equipment was becoming apparent, and Dr. Harper suggested Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
as a suitable location. In 1913, the government approved the project and Dr. Harper was sent to make measurements of the observing conditions at various sites. Observatory Hill
Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill, in Saanich, British Columbia, was completed in 1918 by the Canadian government. Proposed and designed by John S...
was finally selected as the location. In 1918 the observatory was completed, and a year later Dr. Harper was transferred to the site. He would become assistant director in 1924, then the observatory's second director in 1936.
Most of his career was spent in the spectroscopic
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
study of star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s. He published about 50 papers, and in 1924 a table of 1100 parallax
Parallax
Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. The term is derived from the Greek παράλλαξις , meaning "alteration"...
measurements. He was also a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is a national, non-profit, charitable organization devoted to the advancement of astronomy and related sciences. At present, there are 29 local branches of the Society, called centres, located in towns and cities across the country from St. John's,...
, being awarded their gold medal, then becoming a Fellow in 1913. He serving as president of that organization 1928-29. In 1935 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto.
By 1938 he was suffering from ill-health, which was further undermined by a bout of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
while representing Canada at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. He died from a relapse of the disease.