The Ladd Observatory is an astronomical observatory

Observatory

An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...

 of Brown University

Brown University

Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

 in Providence

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

, Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

, USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The observatory was dedicated in 1891 and is named for benefactor Herbert W. Ladd

Herbert W. Ladd

Herbert Warren Ladd was the 40th and 42nd Governor of Rhode Island for two terms: 1889-90 and 1891-92.He was born in New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts on October 15, 1843. In 1891 he donated an astronomical observatory to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The Ladd Observatory...

.

The main telescope

Telescope

A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...

 is a 12 inches (30.5 cm) refractor

Refracting telescope

A refracting or refractor telescope is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image . The refracting telescope design was originally used in spy glasses and astronomical telescopes but is also used for long focus camera lenses...

 with a lens made by John Brashear

John Brashear

Dr. John Alfred Brashear was an American astronomer and instrument builder.- Life and work :Brashear was born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, a town 35 miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. His father, Basil Brown Brashear, was a saddler, and his mother, Julia Smith Brashear, was a...

 following the design of Charles S. Hastings. The equatorial mount

Equatorial mount

An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that follows the rotation of the sky by having one rotational axis parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras...

 and mechanical clock drive were made by George N. Saegmuller

George N. Saegmuller

George N. Saegmuller was a German-born American inventor of many astronomical instruments and other mechanical devices.He attended technical schools in Erlangen and Nuremberg. In 1870 he moved to the United States, where he settled in Washington, DC and began working for a craftsman involved in...

.

Besides astronomical research, Ladd sent out a time signal

Time signal

A time signal is a visible, audible, mechanical, or electronic signal used as a reference to determine the time of day.-Audible and visible time signals:...

 for decades. When they decided to stop the service in the 1970s, they discovered that nobody was currently receiving it.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

See also

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

External links

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