Chasing the Stars: How the Astronomers of Observatory Hill Transformed Our Understanding of the Universe

by James Lattis, Kelly Tyrrell

A richly illustrated history of Wisconsin’s astronomical innovations



Explore the remarkable story of Wisconsin astronomers whose curiosity, persistence, and innovation helped us better understand our universe. 



Chasing the Stars traces the history of the University of Wisconsin’s Washburn Observatory, where some of the world’s most cutting-edge astronomical inventions were born. Learn about the earliest Indigenous stargazers, the women who worked as the first human computers, the astronomers who sold time by the stars, the scientists who shrank the Milky Way, and the crucial role Wisconsin astronomers played in the development of modern astrophysics and space astronomy.



This extraordinary book features more than 100 modern and historic photographs that illustrate the people and science behind Wisconsin’s astronomical innovations. Designed for lay readers and astronomers alike, Chasing the Stars inspires all of us to look up at the sky in wonder.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2024

Reviews

[Varun Gudibanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a connection to Wisconsin or especially UWMadison and have any interest in astronomy at all, you will probably find this to be a very interesting read. Even if you don’t have a connection to Wisconsin or UWMadison, this is still a very interesting book. Although you may not have heard about a lot of the research that happened at Washburn, you’ll be surprised to learn about the major discoveries and projects that depended on work done at Washburn and UWMadison’s astronomy department in general. Cool and fun read overall.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to learn some history of a building I see every day.