The edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 5793 has been observed at frequencies of 4860 and 14940 MHz with the Very Large Array. The corresponding half-intensity beamwidths in the final maps were 0.65 × 0.40 and 0.19 × 0.11 arcsec2. The maps show a continuum source close to the optical nucleus with dimensions of ≤0.01 and 0.04 arcsec in right ascension and declination. The average spectral index is –0.6.

On July 14, 1982 a Forbush decrease event of unprecedented magnitude was observed worldwide in the cosmic ray records up to particle rigidities of several hundred GV. At the same time the recently commissioned underground proportional counter telescope at Mawson, Antarctica, was recording a newly discovered cosmic ray modulation superposed on the Forbush event (Duldig, Jacklyn and Pomerantz 1985; Jacklyn, Duldig and Pomerantz 1987). The presence of the two phenomena led to complication in deriving the spectrum of the Forbush decrease for particle rigidities corresponding to the shallow observing depth. A technique for resolving such difficulties is presented and applied to the July 1982 decrease and the recurrence event 27 days later. The resulting spectral index γ was found to be ≈ −0.9, similar to the results of the extensive analysis of Russian surface and underground data by Kuzmin et al. (1983).

My lecture this evening is dedicated to my late friend and fellow astronomer, Harley Wood, who died on 26 June 1984 at the age of 72. It is a fine thing that the ASA has decided to give the name of Harley Wood to an annual public lecture at the time of the society’s Annual General Meeting. For besides making a monumental contribution to the astrometry of the southern skies, Harley became a leader, a kind of organizer and father figure, among Australian astronomers. He played a leading part in the formation of this society and was its foundation President. He will also be specially remembered by a small group of us, about half a dozen, who met regularly in the charming old building of Sydney Observatory to plan the 1973 IAU General Assembly held in Sydney, the first time ever in Australia. Harley chaired not only the local organizing committee, but the ladies’ committee too. My wife still recalls the gentle, but firm way in which Harley once admonished her for addressing a remark across the table without going through the Chair. Harley was totally approachable and totally positive at all times: you could always count on his support for any sensible initiative. He had many friends and no enemies that I have heard of. And unlike so many of his profession, there was no hint of the egotist or the prima donna. I count it a privilege to have been his contemporary and colleague.