The Journey to Palomar
Published on Dec 23, 2008 at 12:20 am.
2 Comments.
Filed under astronomers.
Byrd and I were watching television, and a program come on PBS that I’ve been waiting to see for nearly two years. It is called “The Journey to Palomar.” The program obviously talks about the Palomar Observatory, which I have blogged about before, and selected as one of my wonders of astronomy series. But, the program is about a whole lot more. It is really the story of the career of one of America’s (and perhaps the world’s) greatest observatory builders: George Ellery Hale. I like Hale, and I’ve written a short biography about him for an encyclopedia. He was an extremely driven man, who accomplished a great deal. But, he had his demons who haunted him his whole life. He accomplished so much, and each feat was enough to secure him an honored position in the history of astronomy, but he never saw it as good enough. He was always striving to do more and to big bigger telescopes. Hale was a shrewd fund raiser, and he managed to get money for his projects from some of the wealthiest men in America of his day. I first ran into this program nearly two years ago at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society (in Seattle, that year). Now, I finally got to see in again on TV.
The program talks about how Hale managed to convince Yerkes to fund what was the largest telescope in America, and remains the largest refractor ever built: the University of Chicago’s Yerkes Telescope. The discoveries made by this instrument have been amazing. But, Hale knew that even larger instruments would be needed to do all that he wanted. He managed to get money from Andrew Carnegie to built an observatory atop Mount Wilson in California. That 60 inch telescope was the largest in the world at the time, and it opened the door to the universe. But, the more that astronomers saw, the more that they realized that there was more to see. The Mount Wilson telescope allowed Harlow Shapley to show that the Sun was not, after all, in the center of the galaxy, and it gave hints that the distant spiral nebulae were something special. Hale managed to convince John Hooker to donate money to built a much larger 100 inch telescope. That project ran into difficulties, but eventually with more money from Carnegie, the 100 inch Hooker telescope was completed. Edwin Hubble used that telescope to show that the distant spiral nebulae were, in fact, entire galaxies like our Milky Way, and that the further they were from us, the faster they appeared to be moving away from us. These findings revolutionized our understanding of the universe. But, Hale was still not satisfied. He wanted a bigger telescope, so he set the stage for a telescope of 200 inches diameter. That telescope, set atop Mount Palomar was his crowning achievement. However, difficulties in construction and World War II delayed completion of the project. Hale never lived to see Palomar completed. Yet, still, it can be said to have been his greatest achievement. And, of course, the 200 inch Mount Palomar telescope is named in his honor: the Hale Telescope.
The program is very well done, and it was very interesting to see it again. Byrd seemed impressed, too. So, if you have any interest in the history of astronomy, this is a must see. Check your local listings to see when it will next be rebroadcast. It is also probably a good investment for educators. I plan on having my college buy a copy of the film for the library.
-Astroprof
Seeking Solace on December 23, 2008 at 8:31 am: 1
Sounds interesting!
Have a Happy Christmas!
Mike Vergara on December 23, 2008 at 8:34 pm: 2
I am glad you enjoyed the program. As a Docent at Palomar Observatory, we are (of course) enamored with this program and Robin & Todd Mason, the filmmakers. They have spent almost eight years making this film; it is truly a labor of love and respect.
If you are ever in Southern California, please come visit the observatory. We give public tours every Saturday between April and October.
Cheers,
Mike