Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton

The first "outing" I had this summer was my trip to Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton. I went on June 16th to the quiet mountain top telescope. The trip is approximately 32 miles from Sunnyvale, about an hour and two minutes by car. Driving on the mountain is vigorous. You first drive on Quimby road that continues on top of the first hill you pass. The road is wide at first when you are passing the schools. But when getting on the actual hill, the road narrows and gets emptier. You then merge onto the actual Mt. Hamilton. You continue on Mt. Hamilton road till you reach the observatory. Radio signals on top are crystal clear as well as the noise in general  on top of the mountain. It is very hot on Mt. Hamilton.You need sunglasses to look at the Observatory, a round white building that looks like a door knob. Inside the observatory, you can look at pictures of the observatory, view a video about Mr. Lick, take a tour of the telescope, or check out the gift shop. During the summer, you can check out the starry night concerts where you can also take a good look through the telescope. Lick Observatory is free. SO GO THERE!!! ;) 

Lick Observatory

Telescope

Lick Observatory was the world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory. The observatory, in a Classical Revival style structure, was constructed between 1876 and 1887, from a bequest from James Lick. In 1887 Lick's body was buried under the future site of the telescope, with a brass tablet bearing the inscription, "Here lies the body of James Lick".

The 36-inch (91 cm) refracting telescope on Mt. Hamilton was Earth's largest refracting telescope during the period from when it saw first light on January 3, 1888, until the construction of Yerkes in 1897. Warner & Swasey designed and built the telescope, with the 36-inch lens done by Alvan Clark & Sons.

In May 1888, the observatory was turned over to the Regents of the University of California.