John Stanley Plaskett was Canada’s pre-eminent astronomer in the first half of the twentieth century. His legacy lives on in the observatory he founded in Victoria, British Columbia, and the reputation he built for Canada as a nation making vital contributions to basic science. Plaskett’s pioneering work with the most massive stars and his definitive determination of the rotation of the Milky Way Galaxy earned him international recognition of the highest order.

Northern Star explores Plaskett’s unorthodox and fascinating life from his rural roots near Woodstock, Ontario through his days as a technician at the University of Toronto to his initiation in astronomy at the Dominion Observatory in Ottawa. His greatest achievements followed after he persuaded the government of Canada, in spite of the strictures of the First World War, to finance what was then the world’s largest operational telescope. Peter Broughton’s accessible and engaging prose illuminates Plaskett’s numerous achievements and the social, political, economic, and religious milieu surrounding them. This richly illustrated volume invites readers to understand the pull that Plaskett’s passions, personality, and motivations exerted on him during his lifetime.

R. Peter Broughton was president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada from 1992 to 1994. His service and extensive writing on the history of astronomy led the International Astronomical Union to name a minor planet in his honour.

R. Peter Broughton's profile page

James E. Hesser (1938 – 2003) authored or coauthored more than 250 scientific publications and was a pioneer in using the Hubble Space Telescope to establish the ages of the outermost star clusters related with the Milky Way galaxy. He became director of the dominion Astronomical Observatory in Victoria, British Columbia in 1986.

James E. Hesser's profile page

• Winner, The Donald E. Osterbrock Book Prize for Historical Astronomy

"This is a book that needed to be written. Its appeal may fall between the general public readership and that of active astronomers, but many passages bridge that gap, and it is evident that nothing has been omitted for those who crave detail and further reference. Northern Star will stand as a complete and thorough record of a remarkable Canadian, a definitive account of what he gave to the country and to the world of science."

BC Booklook, March 18 2018 (online)

"The fact that Broughton was able to write an engaging narrative and produce a most valuable and profusely illustrated book in the history of twentieth century astronomy is a testament to his skills in this labour of love biography."

JAHH

"Plaskett’s legacy is covered nicely in this well-produced volume, and that, of course, includes his son, Harry, who became the Savilian Professor at Oxford. The first of the appendices lists his many publications; copious Notes follow – 90 pages of them – and a comprehensive Index concludes the book. A number of monochrome photos help bring the story to life."

The Observatory, December 2018

"The book’s great strength is the range and depth of Broughton’s research. So thorough it is that it is hard to imagine anyone unearthing any more significant information about Plaskett. Broughton fashions his judgements carefully; the evidence he presents makes a compelling case for Plaskett as a skilled observational astronomer and highly talented institution builder."

Journal for the History of Anatomy, vol 49:3