James Lattis & Kelly Tyrrell
Bryce Richter/Althea Dotzour, UW–Madison
James Lattis (left) and Kelly Tyrrell.
James Lattis (left) and Kelly Tyrrell.
The UW-Madison’s historic Washburn Observatory has long deserved its own book, and now it has one. Chasing the Stars: How the Astronomers of Observatory Hill Transformed Our Understanding of the Universe is the richly illustrated latest title from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Authors James Lattis (who helps manage the observatory) and Kelly Tyrrell (a science writer who oversees media relations at UW-Madison) wrote it for both lay readers and astronomers, and they share stories of people whose curiosity, persistence and insight helped advance modern astrophysics and make the observatory instrumental in developing some of the world’s most cutting-edge astronomical inventions. Register for the in-person talk at mysterytomebooks.com; a livestream is also available.