Palomar Observatory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Palomar Observatory |
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Astronomer Jean Mueller posing with the Samuel Oschin Telescope (Schmidt Camera)
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| Organization | Caltech | ||||||||||||
| Location | San Diego County, California | ||||||||||||
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Coordinates
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33°21′21″N 116°51′50″W / 33.35583°N 116.86389°W
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| Altitude | 1,713 m (5,618 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Website Palomar at Caltech |
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Palomar Observatory is a privately owned observatory in San Diego County, California, 90 miles (145 km) southeast of Mount Wilson Observatory, on Palomar Mountain in the Palomar Mountain Range. It is owned and run by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The observatory is made up of four main telescopes: the 200 inch (5.08 m) Hale telescope, the 48 inch (1.22 m) Samuel Oschin telescope, the 18 inch (457 millimeter) Schmidt telescope, and a 60 inch (1.52 m) reflecting telescope. Also, the Palomar Testbed Interferometer is located at this observatory.
Name
The word palomar is from the Spanish language, meaning pigeon house. The name may be because of the large amounts of pigeons that can be seen in the spring and autumn months on Palomar Mountain, or it may be because of an old pigeon-raising building built there by the Spaniards.
Images for kids
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Palomar Mountain Observatory featured on 1948 United States stamp
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Hale Telescope Dome
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Hale telescope dome
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Component of the Hale telescope
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The now decommissioned 18-inch Schmidt Camera
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Greenway Visitor Center at Palomar Observatory, with a gift shop
See also
In Spanish: Observatorio Palomar para niños
