Ladd Observatory

Ladd Observatory
Organization	Brown University
Location	Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Coordinates	41°50′20″N 71°23′57″W / 41.83889°N 71.39917°W / 41.83889; -71.39917
Altitude	226 feet (69 m)
Weather	See the Clear Sky Chart
Established	1891 (1891)
Website	http://brown.edu/ladd
Telescopes
12" Brashear / Saegmuller refractor 80 mm Saegmuller transit instrument Ladd Observatory U.S. National Register of Historic Places Location Providence, Rhode Island, USA Coordinates 41°50′20″N 71°23′57″W / 41.83889°N 71.39917°W / 41.83889; -71.39917Coordinates: 41°50′20″N 71°23′57″W / 41.83889°N 71.39917°W / 41.83889; -71.39917 Built 1891 Architect Stone, Carpenter & Willson Architectural style Classical Revival Governing body Brown University NRHP Reference # 93000583 Added to NRHP June 6, 2000

The Ladd Observatory is an astronomical observatory of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. The observatory was dedicated in 1891 and is named for benefactor Herbert W. Ladd who funded the construction.^[1]

History

Construction

Ladd Observatory was designed by the Providence-based firm of Stone, Carpenter & Willson.^[2] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Telescope

The main telescope is a 12-inch (30 cm) refractor with a lens made by John Brashear following the design of Charles S. Hastings. The equatorial mount and mechanical clock drive were made by George N. Saegmuller.

Timekeeping

Besides astronomical research, Ladd sent out a time signal for decades. When they decided to stop the service in the 1970s, they discovered that nobody was actually receiving it.

Associations

Astronomers associated with Ladd include Winslow Upton. Frank W. Very, Frederick Slocum and Charles H. Smiley.

H. P. Lovecraft had free access to the observatory for several years and wrote astronomy articles for Providence newspapers based upon his study there between 1906 and 1918.^[3]

See also

• List of observatories
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island

References

• Ladd Observatory Encyclopedia Brunoniana by Martha Mitchell

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ladd Observatory.

• Ladd Observatory homepage
• Ladd Observatory Clear Sky Chart Forecasts of observing conditions.

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