Lick Observatory
Main building and South Dome,
Lick Observatory, San Jose, California.
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, of the University of California, which is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton. The observatory was constructed, in 1888, from a bequest from James Lick. The 91 cm refracting telescope here was Earth's largest refracting telescope, until the 1897 construction of Yerkes. It was the first permanantly occupied mountain top observatory, which provided superior viewing performance due to lack of ambiant light and polution. Additionally, the night air at the top of Mt. Hamilton is extremely calm, and the peak is normally above the level of fog often seen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Current equipment includes the C. Donald Shane 3 m (120-inch) reflector, the original Lick 0.9 m (36-inch) refractor, the Carnegie 0.5 m (20-inch) twin refractor, the Anna L. Nickel 1 m (40-inch) reflector, the Crossley 0.9 m (36-inch) reflector, a 0.6 m (30-inch) reflector, and the 0.6 m (24-inch) Coude auxiliary telescope.
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