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All the United States California Pasadena Mount Wilson Observatory

Mount Wilson Observatory

This former stomping grounds of the most eminent astronomers of the early 20th century.

Pasadena, California

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nina nick
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View of the 100-inch from the 150-Foot Solar Tower Current Towercam   150-Foot Solar Tower Current Towercam
View of the 100-inch from the 150-Foot Solar Tower Current Towercam   150-Foot Solar Tower Current Towercam
60-inch Telescope   James Cottle
100-inch Telescope   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
LA Obscura Society hanging out on Einstein’s bridge, aka the Bridge to the Stars   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
The Moon shot with an iPhone through the 60-inch telescope   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
Edwin Hubble’s Chair   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
60-inch Telescope Dome   James Cottle
  Avoiding Regret
  Avoiding Regret
150’ Solar Tower   Pip
  Avoiding Regret
View of the 100-inch from the 150-Foot Solar Tower   150-Foot Solar Tower Current Towercam
60-inch Telescope   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
Radio Ridge antenna farm on the way to the observatory   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
Saturn shot through the 60-inch telescope   Steve Grant
Mt Wilson Complex   RockEngineer49 / Atlas Obscura User
Red Box Road   Ritchey
Mount Wilson Observatory tour, 7/2021   Keri Kilgo / Atlas Obscura User
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About

At the peak of Mount Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains, overlooking the vast L.A. sprawl, there is an observatory over 100 hundred years old.

It was there that Edwin Hubble used a telescope mirror over eight feet wide to made two discoveries that fundamentally changed our definition of the universe. First, he realized that some faint, fuzzy objects that perplexed astronomers for decades were in fact galaxies outside our own Milky Way. Then Hubble recognized that many of these galaxies were speeding away from us, indicating that the universe is expanding. Science!

Mount Wilson was also the site of another famous experiment: in 1926, Nobel winner Albert Michelson made the first modern measurement of the speed of light, timing a brilliant beam as it traveled to a reflecting mirror 22 miles away from the observatory. Today, visitors can see the telescope and chair from which Hubble made his observations, stroll through a quiet museum filled with images of the cosmos, and tread along paths where science greats like Einstein frequently walked. The observatory can be reached via a scenic mountain drive along Angel’s Crest Highway or a day-long hike through Angeles National Forest.

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Astronomy Observatories Instruments Of Science

Know Before You Go

Museum and grounds are open seasonally and night time telescope viewing sessions are by appointment. Check official Mount Wilson website for details. From 210, take Highway 2 northbound 14 miles, Red Box Road is on your right. Follow it 5 miles to the top. Park in the large lot and walk on in. Parking passes are required and can be purchased at the Cosmic Cafe on the observation deck.

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wilson

Edited By

Rachel, Avoiding Regret, Tizzy, Erin Johnson...

  • Rachel
  • Avoiding Regret
  • Tizzy
  • Erin Johnson
  • RockEngineer49
  • Keri Kilgo

Published

January 14, 2014

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  • www.mtwilson.edu
  • http://obs.astro.ucla.edu/towercam.htm
Mount Wilson Observatory
Audio Road
Pasadena, California, 91107
United States
34.226393, -118.06618
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