Ladd Observatory

Ladd Observatory has watched over Providence, Rhode Island since 1891, when Brown University dedicated it as a working facility for student instruction, research, and - unusually for an observatory - keeping the city's clocks correct.

About Ladd Observatory

Operated by Brown University, Ladd Observatory was built primarily to support astronomy teaching and research, but it also ran a regional timekeeping service, calibrating clocks around campus including the one at Carrie Tower and the bell at University Hall. Meteorological instruments recorded weather data at the site from the day it opened.

History

Beyond astronomy, Ladd was used to teach civil engineering topics such as geodesy, and during both World Wars it hosted nautical science courses covering celestial navigation. Public open nights began in 1930, popular enough that they led to the founding of the Skyscrapers amateur astronomy society in 1932; the group went on to acquire the nearby Seagrave Observatory in 1936, and its members helped build a Schmidt camera for Brown's 1937 solar eclipse expedition. Ladd was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits on Brown University's campus in Providence, Rhode Island, on the U.S. East Coast.

Visiting Ladd Observatory

Ladd is still used by Brown's Department of Physics for astronomy instruction, and it's regularly open to the public as a science centre and technology museum - it operates, in effect, as a living museum. Check Brown University's website for current open-night schedules before visiting.

See your named star from here

Ladd has hosted public stargazers since 1930, and the same tradition applies to a star named through Star Register. Name a star for someone, or browse the catalogue of stars already claimed.