#66 Mount Wilson Observatory, 100-inch Hooker Telescope
1918
Unique telescope mirror support and use of mercury flotation to reduce friction
The increased light-grasp of this telescope made possible many notable advances in structural cosmology between 1924 and 1930, which have revised our ideas about the universe. One of these advances was that spiral nebulae are galactic units like our own; another was the idea of an expanding universe. George Ellery Hale began planning this project in 1906; Francis G. Pease was the chief designer and mechanical engineer. The telescope's mirror support and the use of mercury flotation to reduce the friction are among its outstanding mechanical engineering features.
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Drawing of Mt. Wilson Observatory's 100-inch telescope, which has been designated an ASME historic mechanical engineering landmark.
Credit: J. Lawrence Lee, ASME copyright 1998
Landmark Location
Mount Wilson Institute 740 Holladay Road Pasadena, CA 91106
Owner, if different than above
Mount Wilson Observatory (Hale)
Plaque location, if specific
Inside observation booth of the Hooker Telescope
Visiting Info
The observatory is open to visitors every day from 10 AM to 4 PM from April 1 through November 30, weather permitting. Special group tours may still be requested. Gale Grant.
Links
- Request time on the 100-inch Owner site: http://www.mtwilson.edu
- Current view from top of 150-foot solar tower telescope: http://www.astro.ucla.edu/%7Eobs/towercam.htm
- Mount Wilson Observatory Virtual Tour: http://www.mtwilson.edu/vir/vir.php
Ceremony Notes
June 1981