Our next opportunity won’t be till 8820 A.D. For those hoping to catch a glimpse of Comet NEOWISE before it’s gone, there will be several observing opportunities over the coming days as it becomes increasingly visible, shortly after sunset, in the northwest sky. This gorgeous photograph comes courtesy of Bob Horton, the manager of astronomy …
(3.8) Spring forward — daylight saving time begins at 2am, Sunday, March 8. Seen here is an old clock face at the Ladd Observatory. You can still watch individual seconds pass by at the no-frills U.S. Naval Observatory Master Clock. The worm is turning: The Ladd Observatory is open to the public on Tuesday evenings, …
(2.13) Chazan Gallery will be holding an opening reception Thursday for “Intercalary Event 2020.” The exhibition runs through March 4th. This February 2020, the artists Katie Bullock, Robert Horton, Sean Salstrom and Jocelyne Prince invite intercalary events/objects into the Chazan Gallery, Hay Library’s Wills Reading Room, (Brown University) and Ladd Observatory. The process the artists …
(4.14) The annual gathering commemorating the life and work of H.P. Lovecraft will take place Sunday at 3pm at the Ladd Observatory. Visitors today can get a bonus look at the daytime moon. (Facebook event.) An annual gathering recognizing the life and unique literary contributions of Mr. Lovecraft. He was an avid, amateur astronomer This …
Spring forward. Daylight saving time begins early Sunday morning at 2am. Sunset time on Sunday will be 6:46pm. Yay. The U. S. Naval Observatory Master Clock is the most accurate timepiece in the world. (This is not that clock.) In the case of GPS, the Master Clock helps carefully measure the travel time of electromagnetic …
[Update: Event was postponed due to weather. New date is Saturday, June 2.] (5.2) Outdoor movie night at Ladd Observatory! The Cable Car Cinema, The Providence Center for Media Culture, and the Ladd Observatory at Brown University will host a free outdoor screening of “The Martian” Saturday night. (Facebook event page.) Film screening and star …
(1.24) From our friends at Ladd Observatory: This is just a reminder that this Wednesday Ladd will be open from 7pm to 9pm. The newly restored 12-inch lens will begin the night with beautiful views of the first quarter moon, and later in the night, if there is time, we will turn the telescope to …
It’s been nine years but the New Horizons unmanned spacecraft — NASA’s first mission to the Pluto system and the Kuiper belt — makes its final approach today. Here’s the deal. It’s Antarctic winter on Pluto. The sun has not been visible for twenty years in this frigid south polar region; it will not shine …
(4.12) A tribute to Providence horror writer H. P. Lovecraft will take place Sunday afternoon at 3pm. From ProJo, Historian and author Christian Henry Tobler will be master of ceremonies at the free event, which is held every year around the date of Lovecraft’s death (March 15). Dramatic readings of the author’s work will follow …
One way to know the days are getting longer is when Ladd Observatory changes its hours on Tuesdays, the night it’s open to the public. For me, spring feels official when I can stop by Ladd from 9pm to 11pm instead of 8pm to 10pm, giving the sky more time to darken. The good folks …
(4.7) The H.P. Lovecraft Commemorative Activities Committee will be hosting a tribute this Sunday afternoon. The annual H.P. Lovecraft Service of Tribute will be held on the front lawn of Ladd Observatory. Following the opening greeting and a “eulogy” briefly encapsulating the life and literary career of H.P. Lovecraft, there will be dramatic recitations of …
In anticipation of the big day on June 5th, the Providence Athenaeum has organized a tutorial of sorts for this coming Tuesday, May 29th — From Transit Street to the Stars: the Transit of Venus in 1769 and Today. In June 1769 a cannon fired, a telescope was pointed at the sun, and a group …