Mount Wilson Observatory

The Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angles County, California is an astronomical observatory that was founded by George Ellery Hale in 1904.  The observatory houses several telescopes, two of which are impressively large (and also famous in the telescope world): a 60-inch Hale telescope and a 100-inch Hooker telescope.  The former was built in 1908 and the latter in 1917, each existing as the largest telescope at the time of their construction.  The 60-inch telescope was one of the most productive in astronomical history, allowing a pioneering of space exploration through analysis and photography.  Many groundbreaking observations were made at the Mount Wilson Observatory, such as the revelation that the sun is not the center of the Milky Way.  Also, many widely accepted theories were studied in these telescopes including the Big Bang Theory.

The 60-inch Hale telescope is among the largest in the world that allows public viewing of the beautiful objects in the sky, including views of planets, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies.  Lucky for us, Chapman University is located about two hours outside of the observatory, so we were able to take a trip out as a class and experience the stunning views through the telescope first hand.  No combination of words can describe the feeling when looking at a planet in our solar system, the same planets that we have learned about for years and seen in photographs and films growing up, through the telescope in that exact moment even though they are millions of miles away.  No matter how long I stared through the eyepiece of the telescope I wouldn’t want to take my eye off of it.  It was an experience that I didn’t want to end.  Although I knew I would remember and cherish that moment after it was over, it was the current connection of viewing it in real time as we see it from Earth that took hold of me.  It was such an amazing experience, one that’s almost difficult to grasp.

In addition to observing various objects in the sky, we also spent time doing some astrophotography – taking long exposure photographs of the night sky that brought dim stars to light, while also recording the movement of the earth in comparison to the stars through star trails.  The class and myself included wandered the grounds of Mount Wilson until we each found a favorable spot to take our long exposure photographs.  Since this was only the second time for me to dabble in some astrophotography, it was something fun to explore.  It was also extremely satisfying whenever I got a clear shot of the stars, given that it’s a difficult task to focus the camera on the night sky.  In the end, our class ended up capturing some great shots, not only of the stars in the sky but also of the telescope while it was spinning to change its focus to another object.  Our trip to the Mount Wilson Observatory was exceptional and something that surpassed my expectations.  Hopefully I’ll return in the near future!