|
Like so many major observatories in the late nineteenth century, this one was
made possible by a bequest from a very rich man. In this case, James Lick,
a successful businessman from the San Francisco Bay area. When it became operational in 1888, the observatory
housed the largest refracting telescope in the world, a magnificent
instrument with a 36" diameter objective lens. By the time
the observatory was completed, James Lick was dead, and his body was
placed in a permanent tomb at the base of the pier supporting the great
telescope.
Over the years
other telescopes have been located on the mountain. The largest
research instrument currently in use is a 120" reflector.
This latter instrument is historic in its own right, as it was one of
the first telescopes used to collect the data which confirmed the
existence of extra-solar planets. The initial work was done in the
late 1990s and continues today.
|
