"Chasing the Stars: Washburn Observatory in Science and Culture": In Menasha, WI

Name: "Chasing the Stars: Washburn Observatory in Science and Culture": In Menasha, WI
Start: 2025-04-16T19:00:00-05:00
Location: Barlow Planetarium

Schedule

Wed, 16 Apr, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Barlow Planetarium | Menasha, WI

Join us for this free, in-person event on April 16, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the lecture hall next to the Barlow Planetarium, hosted by the Northeast Wisconsin Stargazers. The easiest way to enter is through the doors next to the Barlow Planetarium. Registration is not required, but you can call the planetarium at 920-832-2848 to register.
For centuries before the arrival of Europeans, native stargazers built effigy mounds on the summit of Observatory Hill, where Washburn Observatory would be built in 1878. The modest observatory made the University of Wisconsin into a research university in the late 19th Century and then led the way into modern astrophysics and even into space in the 20th Century. Along the way Wisconsin's observatory also kept the clocks of railroads and courtrooms accurate, became a notorious lover's lane, and was immortalized in popular song. Using selections from our recent book Chasing the Stars, we will tell the story of how Washburn Observatory and Wisconsin astronomy have influenced the development of both science and popular culture.
Presenter Jim Lattis holds a Ph.D. in History of Science from UW–Madison and is the author of many publications in that field. He helped create UW Space Place, the outreach and public education center of the UW–Madison Astronomy Department and has directed it since its founding. He manages historic Washburn Observatory, teaches courses in introductory astronomy and its history, gives frequent public talks, and consults widely for the media (including UW Communications, Wisconsin and National Public Radio, and other national networks and newspapers). He has also led many trips focused on astronomical tourism.
Kelly Tyrrell started out as a cellular and molecular biologist before becoming a science writer. Her work has given her a front-row seat to many astronomical innovations, including a 2017 visit to the Southern African Large Telescope. Today, Tyrrell oversees media relations for UW–Madison and is an editor for the science journalism nonprofit, The Open Notebook.