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WILLIAM HAMMOND WRIGHT
November 4, 1871-May 16,1959
BY C. D. SHANK
IN RESPONSE TO a terse telegram from Director Edward S.
Holden "Waiting for you. Seven hundred [dollars annual
salary]. Answer when you will be here" William Hammond
Wright came to the Lick Observatory in August of 1897. The
salary was better than he had anticipated, the scientific oppor-
tunity tempting, so as soon as he concluded his work at Yerkes
Observatory, Wright left for Mt. Hamilton. He remained on the
staff of the observatory for 47 years, serving as Director from
1935 to 1942.
Wright was tall and dignified in appearance, deliberate and
quiet in manner. His whimsical sense of humor was sometimes
as surprising as it was delightful. Although he had a lively
imagination and his scientific work over the years covered a
wide range of subjects, he was always able to concentrate effec-
tively on the problem at hand until he brought it to a reason-
able conclusion.
Wright was among the pioneers in the developing field of
spectroscopy. He measured stellar radial velocities and observed
the spectra of novae, gaseous nebulae, and comets. He did ex-
tensive color photography of the planets and organized an im-
proved program for accurate measurement of the proper mo-
tions of the stars. He was skillful and resourceful in the design
and use of instruments, making valuable contributions to the
377
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378
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
improvement of spectroscopic equipment, and was himself a
careful observer and sound interpreter of his observational data.
So fortunate a combination of talents as Wright possessed is
seldom found.
William Hammond Wright was the son of Selden Stuart
and Joanna (Straw) Wright. His parents, both Virginians, were
members of distinguished southern families. His father gradu-
ated from William and Mary College in 1842 and came in 1860
to San Francisco, where he practiced law and later became a
probate judge. His mother outlived Judge Wright by 26 years.
She took an active part in the life of San Francisco and founded
chapters both of the Colonial Dames and of the Daughters of
the Confederacy. In a personal letter written in 1935, Wright
paid tribute to his parents:
My father was simple and charming in his manner and made hosts of
friends. I think he did not know the meaning of fear.... While his pro-
fessional life was successful, his real interest centered in his family. His
devotion to my mother, and hers to him, was such that after nearly half a
century I refer to it with diffidence as something too sacred to probe or
disturb. To us, his children, he was affection itself, and we had his com-
panionship during every moment that could be spared from his professional
preoccupations: It was from him, in walks over hills and along streams,
that we learned to love the world.
Wright was born in San Francisco on November 4, 1871, one
of the younger of 12 children. He attended the public schools in
San Francisco and then entered the University of California,
from which he graduated in 1893 with a B.S. degree in civil
engineering. This training and a subsequent course in shop
work gave him certain technical skills that proved of great value
in his later work with astronomical instruments. During two
years of graduate work at the University, his interests turned
more and more toward mathematics and astronomy. He wrote
Holden asking that he be granted the privilege of studying
astronomy at the Lick Observatory during the coming vacation.
The request was approved and Wright spent the summer of
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WILLIAM HAMMOND WRIGHT
379
1895 on Mt. Hamilton. The next year he went to the Uni-
versity of Chicago and the newly established Yerkes Observatory.
Here he had the good fortune to work with George E. Hale, who,
as he noted in a letter, "treated me all along with the kindliest
consideration." Hale's infectious enthusiasm no doubt turned
Wright further toward the developing field of astronomical spec-
troscopy. W. W. Campbell had started to work in that field at
Lick Observatory, and Holden invited Wright to come and work
with him, which Wright did in the fall of 1897. Hale wrote to
Campbell: "I am very sorry we are going to lose Mr. Wright.—
I do not know when I have met a man who seemed to me so
promising." Wright had accepted Holden's offer of $500 "if
there is enough money." But matters turned out more favorably
than anticipated, and on July 15, 1897 Wright was appointed
assistant astronomer on the Lick Observatory staff at $700 per
annum.
In 1901 Wright married Elna Leib, the daughter of Judge
and Mrs. Samuel Leib of San Jose. Until his retirement, the
Wrights made their home on Mt. Hamilton. There were no
children.
During his first few years at Lick Observatory, Wright par-
ticipated in the main observatory program, that of taking and
measuring the spectrograms of a selected list of stars. He intro-
duced several improvements in the instrumental equipment, in
particular a new mounting for the spectrograph which mate-
rially decreased the flexure and consequently improved the accu-
racy of the measures. He also determined the orbits of a number
of spectroscopic binary stars, observed the spectra of comets and
of gaseous nebulae, and, with Campbell, made extensive obser-
vations of the brilliant new star, Nova Persei.
Wright continued his work at Mt. Hamilton until 1903 when
he went to Chile as Acting Astronomer in charge of the D. O.
Mills expedition. For a number of years Campbell had planned
a temporary observatory in the southern hemisphere for the
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
purpose of extending the coverage of the sky for his radial veloc-
ity program. Funds were provided by Darius Ogden Mills, a
California financier. A reflecting telescope of 36~/2 inches aper-
ture, a spectrograph, and the metal parts for a dome were built
and prepared for shipment. It was anticipated that Campbell
would go to Chile to select a site and to initiate the program.
But while testing the telescope just before shipment, Campbell
was seriously injured, and the full responsibility for the expedi-
tion fell to Wright.
On February 28, 1903 Wright, Mrs. Wright, and Dr. H. K.
Palmer sailed from San Francisco. They landed in Valpariso on
April lath at the beginning of a month-long strike of launch
hands. During that time most of the Lick equipment remained
on lighters in the bay. With great ingenuity Wright managed to
get the telescope mirrors, weighing about 900 pounds with their
packing, aboard a passenger rowboat and safely ashore. From
Valpariso these went by rail to Santiago. When the strike ended
late in May the remainder of the equipment was brought ashore
and similarly forwarded.
Meanwhile Wright and Palmer had scouted for a suitable
site, and they finally settled on the middle peak of Cerro San
Cristobal, a ridge on the outskirts of Santiago rising about 1000
feet above the valley. As Wright wrote to Campbell, many com-
promises had to be made in selecting the site because of peculiar
conditions that "did not bear on the observing, not the least
the matter of bandits." This added some hazard to the daily
climb to the observatory from Santiago where the Wrights
and Palmer found homes. In addition to securing a site, Wright
found it almost equally important to establish cordial relations
with the many government officials, which he did most skillfully
to the great benefit of the expedition.
The equipment arrived in Santiago late in May. The tele-
scope had suffered only minor damage in transit, but the dome
parts were so badly rusted that it was impossible to read the
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WILLIAM HAMMOND WRIGHT
381
markings that keyed their positions in the structure. Some parts
had to be heated and reshaped. Here again Wright's mechanical
skill and his ability to "make do" proved invaluable. Ground for
the observatory was broken on May 27th. Despite constant frus-
trations and delays, the first observations were made September
11th. By the end of November the observatory was completed
and had settled to systematic observations. Despite Wright's
comment that "Chile is a poor place to rush a job," this was just
over nine months after the expedition left California.
Wright remained in Chile for three years and laid a firm
foundation for the observatory's continuance under a series of
observers until 1926. During Wright's administration some 900
spectrograms of 250 different stars were secured of a quality
quite comparable to those taken on Mt. Hamilton. The major
portion of the observing was done by Wright, most of the mea-
suring by Palmer. Although the observatory was initially
planned for only a few years use, the dome and telescope, now
owned and maintained by the Catholic University, are still
operable, with apparently few changes since their installation.
This attests to their sound design and construction.
Following his return from Chile in 1906, Wright was mainly
occupied for several years in analyzing and preparing for publi-
cation the results of the expedition. During this period he also
directed his attention to several problems, including the stucly of
novae and gaseous nebulae which he later developer! into major
fields of research.
Including his early paper with Campbell on Nova Persei,
Wright published twenty-three articles on novae during the
period from 1901 to 1933. Observations of at least ten novae are
recorder] in these papers, all of which were directed toward a
systematic description and an understanding of the very complex
spectroscopic phenomena accompanying these stellar explosions.
The spectrum of a nova undergoes a bewildering variety of
changes from the time of its outburst until, as it grows fainter,
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
it comes to resemble that of a gaseous nebula with a faint hot
central star. Wright's detailed descriptions and his classification
of the various phases through which the nova spectrum passes
have contributed greatly to current understanding of the nova
process.
The spectra of novae are closely associated with the spectra
of the gaseous nebulae. It was therefore appropriate that Wright
should have investigated the nebulae, though there is no reason
to believe that the one subject initially suggested the other. His
first paper on the nebulae, in 1902, was a study of the wave-
lengths of some nebular lines. Eight years later he published
another paper on the same subject, and his interest in the nebu-
lar spectrum continued until his final contribution in 1934.
The results of Wright's nebular work to 1918 were assembled
in a monograph in the Lick Observatory Publications, Volume
13. Here he gives the wavelengths of sixty-nine lines, of which
twenty-nine were believed to have been observed for the first
time. The study included the stellar nuclei of the planetary
nebulae which he found from their spectra to be very hot stars.
Some contained emission bands characteristic of the Wolf-Rayet
stars.
By means of photographs with a quartz slitless spectrograph
which he designed and had built for the Crossley reflector, he
was able to obtain spectra consisting of monochromatic images
of the nebulae in the different spectrum lines. Some images dif-
fered markedly in size from others. The cause was not under-
stood at the time, but it was subsequently shown to be due to the
effects of temperature and density which depended on distance
from the hot central star. With the quartz spectrograph, Wright
discovered in nebulae the continuous spectrum which extends
beyond the limit of the Balmer series of hydrogen. This con-
tinuous emission spectrum had first been observed by Evershed
in the chromosphere of the sun.
Wright extended his observations as far as possible into the
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WILLIAM HAMMOND WRIGHT
383
previously unexplored regions of the spectrum. In the ultra-
violet the efficiency of his quartz spectrograph was further en-
hanced by having the Crossley mirror aluminized, which was
done at the Mt. Wilson Observatory. The higher reflectivity in
the ultraviolet permitted observations to the limit of the atmos-
pnerlc transmission.
When Wright started work on the nebulae, observations in
the red portion of the spectrum were very difficult owing to the
low sensitivity of commercial photographic plates in that region.
He systematized the process, developed by R. I. Wallace, of bath-
ing ordinary commercial plates in certain aniline dyes so as to
obtain consistently clean and sensitive plates extending into the
red. Later, with the introduction of a resew dye, plates of very
good sensitivity in the near infrared were obtained. Thus he was
able to extend the discovery and measurement of nebular lines
over the full range of wavelengths possible with these new
techniques.
The favorable oppositions of Mars in 1924 and 1926 sug-
gestec! to Wright that he might take this opportunity to use
similar techniques in observing that planet over a wide range of
colors. He photographed Mars with the Crossley reflector, using
a microscope lens to enlarge the image formed at the focal plane.
C. E. K. Mees of the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratory co-
operated by having prepared for Wright's use special plates sen-
sitized with red and infrared dyes.
Wright took many photographs in a spectral range extending
from the ultraviolet to the infrared. He found that the surface
features of Mars appeared with progressively increasing contrast
toward the longer wavelengths. The only fixed markings that
appeared in the violet were the polar caps, and he showed that
these were atmospheric phenomena. The south polar cap as
photographed in longer wavelengths was reduced to a small
central white core which appeared to rest on the surface of the
planet. The disc of the planet in violet light (A _ 4400) was
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
measurably larger than in the infrared (A 7600~. This sug-
gested that the diffused violet light surrounding the planet
represented a scattering atmosphere about sixty miles in thick-
ness. Wright carefully looked for possible sources of error in
interpreting these measures and felt that this interpretation was
correct. However, later investigators have suggested other causes
that may have contributed to the observed effect.
Wright also noted and studied extensively both the well-
known yellow clouds that appeared on Mars from time to time
and the blue clouds that occurred on the violet photographs. In
addition he observed certain other Martian atmospheric phe-
nomena. He photographed Jupiter on sensitized plates and
found striking differences between the violet and the infrared
images, but contemporary knowledge was-too limited to suggest
. · —
any clear Interpretation.
Twice Wright took part in solar eclipse expeditions. In 1923
he led the Lick Observatory expedition to observe the eclipse
near Ensenada, Baja California. Unfortunately, cloudy weather
prevented any observations. In 1932 he was a member of the
expedition to Fryeburg, Maine, where he successfully photo-
graphed the solar corona with greatly improved equipment.
When in the second decade of the present century evidence
accumulated that the spirals and certain other types of nebulae
were separate stellar systems very remote from our galaxy,
Wright's thoughts turned to using these objects in establish-
ing a fixed coordinate system to which the motions of the
stars could be referred. It has been customary to refer stellar
motions to a system based on the average motions of large num-
bers of stars. This is satisfactory if the motions are entirely
random, but if they are systematic, there is no assurance that the
coordinate system is a truly inertial one. Systematic motions in
fact do exist because of the rotation of our galaxy. Wright's plan
was to photograph the accessible part of the sky at two epochs
separated by several decades. The star positions would then be
measured for each of the two epochs, using the small faint
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WILLIAM HAM M ON D WRIGHT
385
galaxies as a framework of coordinates. From a comparison of
the measures at the two epochs, the stellar motions could then
be accurately determined.
Wright recognized that in order to pursue the project using
external galaxies, it would be necessary to have a telescope that
would photograph large fields of faint galaxies with reasonably
sharp definition. With Frank E. Ross's design of large field astro-
graphic lenses about 1920, the concept became a practical possi-
bility. In 1934 the Lick Observatory obtained funds from the
Carnegie Corporation to acquire an astrographic telescope of 50
cm. aperture and 350 cm. focal length. The lens was made by
I. W. Fecker according to the design by Ross, and the mounting
by the Warner and Swasey Company following Wright's general
specifications. From the mid-thirties until he left Mt. Hamilton,
Wright devoted the major part of his time and thought to plan-
ning and installing the telescope and organizing the program of
observation. When he finally left the observatory in 1944, the
telescope was essentially really for use.
In 1947 observations on the program were started, and the
first series of photographs was completed in 1954. Wright was
present when both the first and the last plates of the initial
series were taken. More than twenty years after the start of the
first series, the second series was undertaken. The project in
competent hands is now yielding results such as Wright looked
forward to. It is a tribute to his imagination, foresight, and
careful planning.
Wright served as Director of the Lick Observatory from 1935
until 1942, when he retired at 71, well past the normal age for
retirement. He continued two years more as astronomer. During
his directorship he greatly strengthened the staff of the Observa-
tory through the addition of several young astronomers who
later attained eminence in their fields.
Wright's astronomical work was interrupted very briefly at
the time of World War I. Although by temperament he was in
no way inclined toward a military life, he had a very strong
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
sense of duty toward his country. In the summer of 1916 he
attended a Citizens Training Camp in Monterey, and later he
applied for a commission in the Coast Artillery. In the fall of
1918 he went to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland
where he was commissioned a Captain of Ordnance. He had
served only a month when the war en~lecl, and early in 1919,
after an honorable discharge, he returned to the University. He
taught briefly in Berkeley, and returned to the Lick Observa-
tory on June 30th of that year.
From childhood Wright had a keen appreciation of nature
and the open country. It is fortunate that his life work was in
so congenial a setting as Mt. Hamilton. He walked in the back
country and during his earlier years he enjoyed deer hunting.
He often found a solitary trail more conducive to scientific
thought than his desk, and on occasion he advised a student to
think out some knotty problem on a quiet hillside. For many
years Wright was an active and enthusiastic member of the
Sierra Club. He took part in many of their summer trips and
independently camped over a wide area of the California moun-
tains. In 1925 he was appointed a Director of the Sierra Club
and he was an honorary Vice-President until his death. Through-
out his life he battled to save the National Parks from exploita-
tion. A letter to the Secretary of the Interior, written in 1950,
said in conclusion: "I am anxious that Americans may continue
to experience the delight of solitude in the wild places."
Wright had a strong, indeed an almost quixotic sense of
justice. This is exemplified in a letter he wrote to the Regents
of the University in 1932, during the depression years. He had
been advised of a salary advance of $500 a year and while ex-
pressing gratification, he asked that his salary be continued at
$5500. He replied in part:
In view of the present distressing economic situation I certainly had not
anticipated a raise in salary, and after a few moments of reflection I feel
quite sure that it would make me uncomfortable to accept one. What with
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WILLIAM HAMMOND WRIGHT
387
the shrinkage of incomes of substantially everyone, and the voluntary ac-
ceptance of reduced compensation by workmen and other wage earners all
over the country, the time hardly seems opportune for salary increases. I
feel we should consider ourselves lucky in the maintenance of the status
quo.
With difficulty the University finally persuaded him to accept
the increase.
He held strong opinions on political and international mat-
ters involving moral questions. Subsequent to World War I
he was a member of the Save-the-Children Federation and con-
tributed to the support of an adoptive child. Always an advo-
cate of universal military training, he wrote frequent letters to
members of Congress urging his viewpoint. Much of his time
after retirement was spent in an attempt to arrange an adequate
University pension system. Although he shared in the benefits
of this, his interest and strenuous efforts were certainly in large
part due to his dedication to righting a wrong. Meticulous in
assigning credit for scientific work to his colleagues, he ex-
pected the same consideration in return.
Wright had three degrees, a B.S. from the University of
California (1893), a D.Sc. from Northwestern University (1929),
arid an LL.D. from the University of California (1944~. He com-
mented: "The first was much harder to get."
He was a member of several societies, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma
Xi, the National Academy of Sciences (elected in 1922), and
the American Philosophical Society (elected in 1935~. He was
also a Foreign Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society
which awarded him its gold medal in 1938. He received the
Janssen Medal of the French Academy in 1928 and the Henry
Draper Medal of the National Academy of Sciences the same
year.
During the last years of his life, Dr. ant! Mrs. Wright lived
in their San lose home. He died on May 16, 1959 at the age of
87. Perhaps his career may best be summarized in his own mod-
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388 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
est words: "Since graduating with the class of '93, I have been
doing largely what came next."
THE PRIMARY SOURCE of information for this memoir was the unpub-
lished letters, both to and from Wright, as well as Wright's pub-
lished papers, in the Lick Observatory Archives. For his family
background I consulted material in the Library of the California
Historical Society in San Francisco and the State Library in Sacra-
mento. I was closely acquainted with Wright for forty years and
much of the content of the memoir is based on personal knowledge.
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WILLIAM HAMMOND WRIGHT
B IB LIO GRAPHY
1897
389
A method of correcting the curvature of lines in the spectrohelio-
graph. Astrophys. J., 5: 325-27.
Variations in the spectrum of the Orion nebula. Astrophys. I., 6:
365-66.
1899
On the wave-length of the Ha line. Astrophys. i., 9:50-51.
The orbit of ~ Aquilae. Astrophys. J., 9:59-68.
Observations of comet spectra. Astrophys. J., 10: 173-76.
1900
The orbit of the spectroscopic binary, X Draconis. Astrophys. J.,
11: 131-34.
The velocity in the line of sight of ~ Leonis. Astrophys. J., 11 :414-15.
With W. W. Campbell. A list of nine stars whose velocities in the
line of sight are variable. Astrophys. l., 12:254-57.
Observations of Leonid meteors. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 12:257.
The auxiliary apparatus of the Mills spectrograph for photograph-
ing the comparison spectrum. Astrophys. J., 12:274-78.
1901
With W. W. Campbell. Observations of the spectrum of Nova Persei.
Lick Obs. Bull. 8, 1 :46-56; Astrophys. J., 14:269-92; Publ.
Astron. Soc. Pac., 13: 223-37.
1902
On Mr. Love's formula for the wavelengths of nebular lines. Mon.
Not. R. Astron. Soc., 62:630-33.
A determination of the wave-lengths of the brighter nebular lines.
Lick Obs. Bull. 19, 1: 153-56.
1904
On some results obtained by the D. O. Mills expedition to the
southern hemisphere. Lick Obs. Bull. 60, 3:3-5; Astrophys. J.,
20: 140-45.
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390
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
1905
A list of twelve stars whose radial velocities vary. Lick Obs. Bull. 75,
3:110-11; Astrophys. J., 21:371-75.
1906
The variable radial velocity of Antares. Lick Obs. Bull. 107, 4:98;
Astrophys. J., 25~1907~:58.
1907
A list of southern stars having variable radial velocities. Lick Obs.
Bull. 107, 4:97; Astrophys. J., 25:56-58.
Two stars whose radial velocities are variable. Lick Obs. Bull. 123,
4: 161; Astrophys. J. 26: 296.
Introductory account of the D. O. Mills Expedition. Lick Obs. Publ.,
9:15-22.
Description of the instruments and methods of the D. O. Mills
Expedition. Lick Obs. Publ., 9:25-70.
1908
Some remarks on Professor Barnard's article on Saturn's rings.
Astrophys. J., 27: 363-71.
Note on Mr. Norlund's orbit of ~ Ursae Majoris. Lick Obs. Bull. 133,
5:26.
1909
Two stars having variable radial velocities. Lick Obs. Bull. 146, 5:61.
Astrophys. J., 29:232.
Note on the spectrum of Halley's comet. Lick Obs. Bull. 167, 5: 146.
Six southern stars having variable radial velocities. Lick Obs. Bull.
173, 5:176-77.
1910
Spectroscopic observations of Comet a 1910. Lick Obs. Bull. 174,
5: 179-81.
The variable radial velocity of g Gruis. Lick Obs. Bull. 182, 6:56.
Notes on an attempt to detect polarization in the bright Hy line in
the spectrum of o Ceti. Lick Obs. Bull. 183, 6:60-61.
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WILLIAM HAMMOND WRIGHT
391
Note on some lines in the spectra of the nebulae. Lick Obs. Bull.
183, 6:61.
Spectrographic observations of Nova Sagittarii. Lick Obs. Bull. 18S,
6:65.
1911
Note on the spectrum of Comets Brooks and Beljawsky. Publ.
Astron. Soc. Pac., 23:269-70.
With H. K. Palmer and S. Albrecht. Radial velocities of 150 stars
south of declination—20° determined by the D. O. Mills Expedi-
tion, period 1903-1906. Lick Obs. Publ., 9: 73-343.
The spectrum of Nova Lacertae. Lick Obs. Bull. 194, 6:95-99.
The spectrum of Nova Lacertae. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 23:50-52.
Further observations of the spectrum of Nova Lacertae. Lick Obs.
Bull. 194, 6:100.
Two stars with variable radial velocities. Lick Obs. Bull. 199, 6: 153.
1912
The spectrum of R Cygni. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 72:548-53.
The spectrum of Nova Geminorum No. 2. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac.,
24: 194-95.
The spectrum of Comet Brooks (191 lc). Lick Obs. Bull. 209, 7: 8-16.
1914
Note on the nebular line A3729. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 75:20-21.
The relation between the Wolf-Rayet stars and the planetary nebu-
lae. Astrophys. I., 40:466-72.
1915
Comparison between the distribution of energy in the spectrum of
the integrated light of the globular cluster Messier 3 and of
neighboring stars. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 27:89-91.
1916
The wave-lengths of the nebular lines N1 and N2. Lick Obs. Bull.
279, 9:9-10.
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392
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
1917
The quartz spectrograph of the Lick Observatory and some observa-
tions recently secured with it. Lick Obs. Bull. 291, 9:52-~.
Note on the spectrum of Nova Persei, No. 2. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac.,
29:217.
1918
The wave-lengths of the nebular lines and general observations of
the spectra of the gaseous nebulae. Lick Obs. Publ., 13:193-268.
1919
Spectral peculiarities of Nova Aquilae III in July, 1919. Lick Obs.
Bull. 322, 10: 30-32.
Comments on the occurrence of nebular lines in the spectrum of
R Aquarii. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 31 :309-13.
Spectroscopic observations of two recently discovered novae. Publ.
Astron. Soc. Pac., 31:313-15.
1920
Nebular lines in the extreme red. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 32:63-65.
The spectrum of Nova Lyrae. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 32:167-68.
The spectrum of Nova Cygni No. 3. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 32:
273-75.
On the occurrence in the spectrum of Nova Cygni of the moving
doublet near Ha. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 32:340.
The spectra of temporary stars. A preliminary account of the spec-
trum of Nova Ophiuchi (1919~. Lick Obs. Publ., 14:1-26.
Certain aspects of recent spectroscopic observations of the gaseous
nebulae which appear to establish a relationship between them
and the stars. Proc. Am. Philos. Soc., 59:517-31.
1921
The ultraviolet spectrum of a Cygni. Lick Obs. Bull. 332, 10:100-8.
Further note on lines in the visual spectrum of a Cygni. Lick Obs.
Bull. 333, 10:108-9.
On the occurrence of the enhanced lines of nitrogen in the spectra
of the novae. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 81: 181-89.
The displacements of hydrogen absorption lines in the spectrum of
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WILLIAM HAMMOND WRIGHT
393
Nova Geminorum in March 1912, with remarks upon their inter-
pretation. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 81: 191-200.
On the occurrence of the enhanced lines of nitrogen in the spectra
of the novae. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 81:412-14.
Further note on the displacements of the absorption lines in the
spectrum of Nova Geminorum (2) in March 1912. Mon. Not. R.
Astron. Soc., 81 :501-9.
1922
On the continuous radiation found in some celestial spectra beyond
the limit of the Balmer series of hydrogen. Nature, 109:810-12.
1923
The Lick Observatory Crocker eclipse expedition to Ensenada,
Lower California, September 10, 1923. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac.,
35:275-86.
1924
On the nature of some of the transformations observed in the struc-
ture and spectrum of a new star. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 36:
159-69.
Photographs of Mars made with light of different colors. Publ.
Astron. Soc. Pac., 36:239-54.
1925
Photographs of Mars made with light of different colors. Lick Obs.
Bull. 366, 12:48-61.
With Dorothy Applegate. The spectrum of a Cygni between wave-
lengths 3020 A and 3000 A. Lick Obs. Bull. 372, 12:81-86.
The new star in the southern skies. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 37:
235~4.
1926
The spectrum of Nova Pictoris. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 38:233-34.
Notes on photographic observations of Mars and of Jupiter. Publ.
Astron. Soc. Pac., 38:333-34.
The spectra of temporary stars. The spectrum of Nova Geminorum
(1912). Lick Obs. Publ., 14:27-91.
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394
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
1927
Photographs of Venus made by infra-red and by violet light. Publ.
Astron. Soc. Pac., 39:220-21.
The spectrum of the Pons-Winnicke Comet. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac.,
-
39:221-23.
Photographs of Saturn made in light of different colors. Publ. Astron.
Soc. Pac., 39:231-34.
The planet Jupiter as photographed by ultra-violet light and by
light of the extreme red. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 39:358-59.
Photographs of Mars and Jupiter taken by light of different colors
during 1926. Lick Obs. Bull. 389, 13:50-67.
Note on Professor Ross's paper entitled "Photographs of Mars,
1926." Astrophys. J., 65: 266-67.
1928
On viewing stereoscopic pictures with unaided vision. Publ. Astron.
Soc. Pac., 40:32-33.
On photographs of the brighter planets by light of different colours.
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 88:709-18.
1929
On some early photographs of the planets by light of different
colours. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 89:609-11.
The Moon as photographed by light of different colors. Publ. Astron.
Soc. Pac., 41:125-32.
With I. H. Moore. The structure of the spectral line 4686 A in the
nebula N.G.C. 7662 compared with that of the lines N1 and N2.
Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 41:307-10.
Photographic observations of certain Jovian phenomena reported
by Messrs. Hargreaves, Peek, and Phillips. Mon. Not. R. Astron.,
89: 703-8.
1930
Photographs of the partially eclipsed Sun made at Mount Hamilton
on April 28, 1930. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 42: 145-48.
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WILLIAM HAMMOND WRIGHT
1932
395
The Lick Observatory-Crocker eclipse expedition to Fryeburg,
Maine, August 11, 1932. Report on the photography of the
corona. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 44:352-56.
1933
Remarks on the characteristics of the star field for the eclipse of
February, 1934, and for some subsequent eclipses. Publ. Astron.
Soc. Pac., 45:25-32.
An account of some photographic observations of the bright spot on
Saturn, and general remarks on Saturn's rotation. Publ. Astron.
Soc. Pac., 45:236-42.
With F. J. Neubauer. Notes on the spectrum of Nova Ophiuchi No.
3. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 45:252-~.
1934
Ultra-vioIet lines in the spectra of certain planetary nebulae. Lick
Obs. Bull. 459, 17: 1~.
The angular diameter of the Sun, as measured during partial phase
of the eclipse of April 28, 1930. Lick Obs. Bull. 466, 17:62-64.
On the focal length of the 36-inch refractor of the Lick Observatory,
and the equivalent, in seconds of arc, of revolution of the micro-
meter screw. Lick Obs. Bull. 466, 17:55-59.
The optical performance of the new aluminized mirror of the Cross-
ley telescope. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 46:32-33.
Lines in the ultra-violet spectra of certain planetary nebulae. Publ.
Astron. Soc. Pac., 46: 142-45.
Remarks on Professor Bowen's note entitled "The Excitation of the
Permitted O III Nebular Lines." Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 46:
149-50.
Further observations of oxygen III lines in the nebular spectrum.
Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 46:280-82.
1935
With G. P. Kuiper. Clouds on Mars. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 47:
92-93.
Comments on Nova Herculis 1934. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 47:47~9.
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396
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
1938
The founding of the Lick Observatory. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 50
143-55.
1939
Airplane crash at the Lick Observatory. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 51
172-73; Observatory, 62:223-24.
Filter photographs of Mars. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 51:292.
1949
University of California acquires mirror for big telescope. Popular
Astronomy, 57:413-14.
1950
On a proposal to use the extragalactic nebulae in measuring the
proper motions of stars, and in evaluating the precessional
constant. Proc. Am. Philos. Soc., 94: 1-12.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
hammond wright
