Lick Observatory

Main building and South Dome, Lick Observatory

The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, of the University of California, which is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, near San Jose, California.

Table of contents

1 Early History 2 Significant discoveries 3 Equipment 4 See also: 5 External link

Early History

The observatory was constructed between 1876 and 1887, from a bequest from James Lick. The 91 cm refracting telescope here was Earth's largest refracting telescope when it saw first light, January 3, 1888, until the 1897 construction of Yerkes. In April, 1888, the observatory was turned over to the University of California Regents, and became the first permanantly occupied mountain top observatory in the world. The location provided superior viewing performance due to lack of ambient light and pollution; 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.

Significant discoveries

The following astronomical objects were discovered at Lick Observatory:

• Several moons of Jupiter
  • Amalthea
  • Ananke
  • Elara
  • Himalia
  • Lysithea
  • Sinope (disputed)
• Several extrasolar planets
  • Triple planet systems
    • Upsilon Andromedae (with Whipple Observatory)
    • 55 Cancri
  • Double planet systems
    • HD38529 (with Keck Observatory)
    • HD12661 (with Keck)
    • GJ876 (with Keck)
    • 47 Ursa Majoris

Current equipment and locations:

• the C. Donald Shane 3 m (120-inch) reflector (Shane Dome, Tycho Brahe Peak)
• the Great Lick 0.9 m (36-inch) refractor (South Dome, Main Building, Observatory Peak)
• the Carnegie 0.5 m (20-inch) twin refractor (Double Astrograph Dome, Tycho Brahe Peak)
• the Anna L. Nickel 1 m (40-inch) reflector (North (small) Dome, Main Building)
• the Crossley 0.9 m (36-inch) reflector (Crossley Dome, Ptolemy Peak)
• the 0.6 m (24-inch) Coude auxiliary telescope (just South of Shane Dome, Tycho Brahe Peak)
• the Tauchmann 0.5 m (22-inch) reflector (Tauchmann Dome atop the water tank, Huyghens Peak)
• CCD Comet Camera 135 mm Nikkon camera ("The Outhouse" Southwest of the Shane Dome, Tycho Brahe Peak)
• the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) 76 cm reflector (24-inch Dome, Kepler Peak)

• List of largest optical refracting telescopes
• List of largest optical reflecting telescopes

• http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/