Joy Division’s striking Unknown Pleasures album cover holds a scientific mystery. The image’s true origin was lost until senior graphics editor @ChristiansenJen traced it from the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy to its debut in a 1971 issue of Scientific American and then all the way to Cornell’s Rare Book Room. The computer-generated stacked plot of a famous pulsar came from a 1970 dissertation by Harold Dumont Craft Jr—who had no idea his data visualization was featured on one of rock’s classic albums. 🔗 You can read more at the link in our bio! 🎤 Jen Christiansen 🎞️ Chris Schodt 📸 Jen Christiansen, Joy Division, The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Astronomy, Harold D. Craft Jr., Alberto Puente, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library, Getty Images #scientificamerican #science #sciencetok #stemtok #pulsar #astronomy #art #music #joydivision #unknownpleasures #albumcover #vinyl #record #pulsar #arecibo #postpunk #rock