Dara Feller Post 3
Mt. Wilson was founded in 1904 by George Ellery Hale, who had been studying the sun with a telescope in Wisconsin. A member of the Yerkes Observatory, Hale brought the Snow Solar telescope over to the San Gabriel mountains where he could continue his observations in a more temperate environment. Soon after the move, Mt. Wilson observatory received funding from the Carnegie Institute of Washington-- rendering it an independent facility. Prior to the installment of the observatory on Mt. Wilson, most telescopes were positioned at sea-level, leaving them vulnerable to cloudy nights and limited visibility. Thus, Hale proposed placing the new research center atop a 5,700ft mountain.
In 1908, Hale and his father introduced the 60 in telescope, a feat that required incredible funding and planning to install at the top of the mountain. The 60 in telescope was utilized to categorize stars by their light spectrum, and even to prove that the sun, while the center of our solar system, is not the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Harlow Shapley proved that our solar system is actually on the outskirts of the Milky Way, disproving the long-held belief of a sun-centric galaxy.
With funding from Hale’s friend John D. Hooker, the Observatory upgraded by installing a new 100 in telescope in 1919. This is the telescope that enabled Edwin Hubble to discover that we are one of multiple galaxies. If this discovery was not shocking enough, Hubble (along with Milton Humason) determined that our universe is expanding. It was this discovery that essentially fueled the Big Bang theory-- the still widely believed theory of our universe’s creation. The mirror for the telescope was crafted in France and brought up Mt. Wilson at a painstaking pace of 2 mph. Disappointingly, the telescope glass had bubbles between layers. After two attempts at reordering failed, the team at Mt. Wilson persevered, hoping the bubbles would not affect the visibility. The first night of observation, the team was distraught to see Jupiter in a blur. However, after letting the glass cool down from being left in the hot sun, a clear image presented at 2:30 am.
In 1926, Mt. Wilson Observatory also aided in Nobel prize winner Alber Michelson’s measurement of lightspeed. Michelson used Mt. Wilson to project a beam of light to another mountain and timed its return.
Mt. Wilson also housed the discoveries that led to insight on the evolution of galaxies. In 1944, astronomer Walter Baade used the 100 in telescope to asses the brightness and ages of two sets of stars in the Andromeda galaxy.
While the 100 in telescope long remained the largest in the world, it was surpassed by the 200 in telescope at Palomar Observatory. This newer, larger telescope was designed primarily by Mt. Wilson staff when the two observatories operated as one Hale Observatory. However, after the split, Palomar retained the larger telescope. Funding was being directed towards newer facilities, resulting in Mt. Wilson’s pile drying up in the 1980s. The nonprofit Mt. Wilson Institute took it upon themselves to retain funding and operation through volunteering and donation. As a result, we still have Mt. Wilson observatory today.
Telescope parts being brought up the mountain
100 in. telescope
Hubble viewing through the telescope
Due to the incredible height of the mountain, the Observatory sits above the layer of smog and cloud cover, offering a clearer view of the sky.
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