A Closer Look at the Ladd Observatory in Providence

Photograph by Frank C. Grace

As a boy, Bob Horton would stand in his Scituate yard and gaze at the stars through his brother’s telescope. “I got fascinated by space and the Apollo missions. I was only eight years old when they landed on the moon, and I found it absolutely captivating,” he says. Today, Horton commands an instrument of a different scale as manager of Brown University’s Ladd Observatory: the fifteen-foot refracting telescope that has stood largely unchanged since 1891. “It’s like stepping back in time,” he says. “You’re visiting a Victorian observatory, and you’re really getting a sense of what astronomy was like in that era.” Over the years, the telescope has witnessed comets, novas and planetary transit. Its purpose today lies in bringing the cosmos to Providence’s Hope Street neighborhood. Every Tuesday, student workers welcome visitors to the 132-year-old building, where enthusiasts can view the heavens for themselves. Horton’s favorite view? “There is nothing prettier than looking at the rings of Saturn,” he says. Newcomers are in luck: The gas giant’s rings will be in full view through the end of the fall. The Ladd Observatory is open to the public on Tuesday evenings during the academic year. A free ticket is required for entry; visit ladd.eventbrite.com to make a reservation.