A “new star” appeared in the constellation Perseus in 1901 and was observed by Professor Winslow Upton at Brown’s Ladd Observatory. Eleven year-old H.P. Lovecraft also saw the cosmic sight, which inspired him to include the nova in his weird tales of horror.
Discover the story and history of Nova Persei 1901 through the collections of the Brown University Library and Ladd Observatory on Tuesday, February 23 at 3:30 p.m. in the Lownes Room of the John Hay Library.
Brown Professor Ian Dell’Antonio will discuss the modern astrophysics of novae; Observatory Curator Michael Umbricht will describe the historic observations and present a demonstration using the astronomical spectroscope used by Upton; and Curator Holly Snyder will display rare items from the history of science special collections of the John Hay Library.
Learn more at the Ladd Observatory blog and Ladd Observatory’s Facebook event page.
This event is part of the Ladd Observatory 125th anniversary and is sponsored by the Department of Physics and the Brown University Library.
Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Lownes Room, John Hay Library, 10 Prospect Street, Providence