History of the Future

You may remember from way back in May that I wrote about the work Edwin Hubble did with the 100 inch Hooker telescope in the blog post The Big Pffft!; essentially redefining the nature and size of the Universe.  I will not recount the details laid out in that offering, but if you missed it, I believe it is well worth reading.

This week’s offering is about an offshoot of the work done on Mt. Wilson (the location of the Hooker telescope), the design and construction of the 200 inch Hale telescope atop Mt. Palomar.  It was of course the natural progression of the astronomical sciences as the field was dominated by men at the time of its initial conception.  Their motto, “Make it bigger!” which of course is what they did: Always with the measuring sticks, these scientists.

The telescope is the property of the California Institute of Technology.  Yes, the very same Cal Tech made famous by those two rascally physicists, Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter of the CBS comedy, The Big Bang Theory.  The 200 inch instrument was regarded the most important telescope in the world from its first light (the first time it was focused on an astronomical image) in 1949 until 1992 when the Keck observatory (390 inch telescope) in Hawaii began operating.

The contributions to our understanding of the nature of our Universe are innumerable.  But it is not my intent this week to add to your working knowledge of nature.

“So why then, Dale, have you introduced this subject?” you ask.

“Because,” I respond, “it’s in my backyard; literally.  As the crow flies, this wonder of Twentieth Century engineering and technology is probably about ten miles from my house.  Driving distance, because of the mountainous terrain, is about twenty-five miles.

Nestled in the rolling valleys of Palomar Mountain, the campus sits atop one of San Diego County’s highest mountain ranges.  It is unique in that the range, or ridge, transverses the real estate from west to east (or vice-versa if you are a Buddha-centric thinker) while other ranges in the county run generally north and south.  It is an island in the sky as it does not connect to any other elevation feature.  The peak is right around 6,500 feet.  Okay, you Colorado readers can stop snickering, surrounded by your 14,000 ft peaks.  But remember, elevation is measured relative to sea level.  Can you see the ocean from one of your precious 14,000 ft peaks? Yeah, well I can see the ocean from Mount Palomar (on a clear day).  But I digress.

The astronomy campus is, as I previously revealed, owned by the California Institute of Technology and thus a private operation (Cal Tech is not part of the University of California).  So, they are gracious enough to open the facility to the public.  During daylight hours (I trust you can guess why they are not open during hours of darkness… if you can’t, e-mail me and I will explain it to you in monosyllabic language), the campus is available to visitors on all days but December 24 and 25.  The staff there may be involved in some small way with reindeer navigation, but no one is talking!

Although there is an appreciable elevation climb, the road leading to the top of the mountain is paved and well maintained.  In addition to the observatory, the mountain top is home to a hamlet community, which offers a small restaurant and gift shop (not affiliated with, and located a few miles from the observatory) and a California State Park campground (reservations recommended).  The mountain is lofty enough that mid-winter rain storms in San Diego will result in snow at the upper elevations.  But the snow usually melts within days and the County General Services people plow the roads quickly.

If you are a science minded type, the observatory offers a gallery of photographs and displays relevant to its history and contributions. If you are not in search of astronomy knowledge, the grounds offer a serene, scenic locale for a day’s respite.  If, like me, you are drawn to art-deco styling, the buildings of the campus will be right up your architectural alley.

San Diego residents who have not taken advantage of this day-long outing are missing a wonderful opportunity for a no cost adventure (admission is free).  On weekend days, there are often docents available to help the visitor make sense of what they are seeing.  Even during the week, there are displays and exhibits enough to edify even the most astronomically naïve.

You can go to http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/visiting.html for directions and information.  For San Diego residents it is an easy trek.  If you are from out of town, I live only about an hour from the observatory and am a willing guide.  I have two spare bedrooms and a guest bath for you convenience. Also, as I live in Indian Country, I am surrounded by casinos within ten minutes, for your night time entertainment.