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Discovery: Frankenstein's Moon

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Frankenstein's Moon

10/09/2012 GMT

BBC World Service - Discovery, Frankenstein's Moon

Lunar and stellar insights on Hamlet and Frankenstein. Astronomy and literature collide.

What can astronomy tell us about great literature? Professor Don Olson, a forensic astronomer, reveals his celestial discoveries  on Frankenstein and Hamlet.

What can astronomy tells us about great literature?  

Forensic astronomer Don Olson tells Andrew Luck-Baker about two of his investigative cases. He explains how plotting the path of the moon in 1816 solved a controversy about Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein.  

The Texas State University professor also outlines his theory that a star referred to in Shakespeare’s Hamlet was inspired by a spectacular supernova which blazed in sky one year during the playwright’s childhood.

(Image: Baron Frankenstein, played by Peter Cushing, leans over his monstor in the film The Curse of Frankenstein. Credit: Getty Images)

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