The View from Observatory Hill

The book reminds us why astronomy is a deeply human endeavor.

Overlooking the sprawling waterscape of Lake Mendota, Observatory Hill boasts one of the best views on the UW campus. Astronomers who frequented the hill and its namesake research facility throughout history would surely agree, though their gazes were turned up to the sky, looking lightyears beyond Madison.

In Chasing the Stars: How the Astronomers of Observatory Hill Transformed Our Understanding of the Universe, science writer Kelly Tyrrell MS’11 and UW astronomy professor Jim Lattis MA’87, PhD’89 chronicle the history of UW–Madison’s Washburn Observatory and the discoveries that were made there.

The book begins with the earliest scientists to document the stars from these lakeshores: the Indigenous people of the Great Lakes region whose enduring drawings and burial mounds reflect constellations and celestial events. Centuries later, when UW president John Bascom resolved to turn the university into a progressive research institution, one of his first steps was to partner with former Wisconsin governor Cadwallader Washburn to build the Washburn Observatory. The facility enjoyed a prolific run as a destination for astronomy research, and Wisconsin honors its legacy by continuing to advance astronomical innovation.

“Chasing the Stars recounts for us how Wisconsin’s astronomers came to be leaders in this field for more than a century and reminds us of why astronomy is a deeply human endeavor that appeals to professionals and nonprofessionals alike,” writes astrophysicist and Nobel laureate Andrea Ghez.

Tyrrell is the UW’s assistant vice chancellor for content strategy and is an editor for science journalism nonprofit The Open Notebook. Lattis is the founder and director of the UW Space Place and manages the historic Washburn Observatory.

Published in the Fall 2024 issue