Researching Frank Ross

His first important work was the calculation of the first reliable orbit of Saturn's moon Phoebe in 1905, and he also calculated orbits for Jupiter's satellites Himalia and Elara. When working for Eastman Kodak he investigated photographic emulsions and the design of wide-angle lenses for astronomical use.

At Yerkes Observatory he was the successor to the late E. E. Barnard, inheriting Barnard's collection of photographic plates. Ross decided to repeat the same series of images and compare the results with a blink comparator. In doing so, he discovered 379 new variable stars and over 1000 stars of high proper motion. Some of the high–proper motion stars turned out to be quite nearby, and many of these stars (such as Ross 154) are still widely known by the catalog number he gave them.

During the opposition of Mars in 1926 he photographed the planet in different colors, using the Mount Wilson 60-inch telescope. The following year he obtained ultraviolet pictures of Venus, which showed structure in its cloud cover for the first time.

In 1935, he published an article describing the design of a two-lens system to correct for the coma aberration of parabolic mirrors, including those at the 60-inch and 100-inch telescopes at Mount Wilson Observatory. Such a corrector is since known as the Ross corrector.

The crater Ross on Mars is named after him, and the crater Ross on the Moon is jointly named after him and James Clark Ross. He was awarded the Franklin Institute's John Price Wetherill Medal in 1928.

Ross was the son of Grace Archibald (McCrone) and David Ross. Ross’ first job was as a bank clerk in Montreal in 1910. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of World War I, serving with the 8th Battalion. During the war, Ross received the Military Cross and was a captain by the war's end.

After the war, Ross joined a shipbuilding company in Saint John, New Brunswick. From this start, Ross went on to careers in industry and finance.

On 3 July 1923 Ross married Gertrude Edith Tomalin, a well-known reciter and entertainer, at the Savoy Chapel. She died in hospital at Saint John, New Brunswick on 22 January 1940, aged 58.

During World War II, Ross assisted in Ottawa procuring supplies for the British Admiralty. His wartime service earned Ross the C.M.G.. In 1945 Ross married Phyllis Turner, whose son John Turner later became Prime Minister of Canada.

Ross was appointed as Lieutenant Governor on October 3, 1955. During Ross’ term, a fire destroyed Government House. A new Government House was completed in May 1959, the year before Ross retired from the office of Lieutenant Governor. With all of the furnishings destroyed, Frank Ross and his wife, Phyllis, went to the United Kingdom in search of suitable pieces. The Rosses purchased 114 pieces of furniture, which they donated to the new Government House.