An observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains of California whose 100-inch Hooker Telescope was the largest in the world from 1917 to 1949. It was there that Edwin Hubble identified galaxies beyond the Milky Way and, in 1929, published the distance-redshift relation that revealed the expanding universe.
Facts
Observatory TypeGround-based optical observatory 1 LocationSan Gabriel Mountains, California, United States 1 MeasuresMeasures visible light, used historically for stellar spectroscopy, parallax measurement, nebula photography and photometry. 2 Operating PrincipleIts 60-inch and 100-inch reflecting telescopes are supported on mercury floats that bear the instrument's great weight, allowing smooth tracking. 2 Connections
Associated With
Site of Hubble's 1929 distance-redshift observations.
Source Encyclopedia Britannica: Space Exploration
In the Other Atlases
Located In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is located.
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica: Space Exploration
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationMount Wilson Observatory, 60-inch telescope section
Its design and light-gathering power allowed the pioneering of spectroscopic analysis, parallax measurements, nebula photography, and photometric photography.
Mount Wilson Observatory, 100-inch Hooker telescope section
the bearings are assisted by the use of mercury floats to support the 100 ton weight of the telescope.
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