An astronomical research observatory in the Palomar Mountains of San Diego County, California, owned and operated by Caltech. Its 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope survey found the dwarf planet Eris on 5 January 2005 (from imaging taken 21 October 2003), a discovery that helped prompt the International Astronomical Union's 2006 redefinition of what counts as a planet.
Facts
Observatory TypeGround-based optical observatory 1 LocationPalomar Mountain, San Diego County, California, United States 1 MeasuresMeasures visible light across a wide range of subjects, from near-Earth asteroids to the outer Solar System and distant galaxies. 1 Operating PrincipleThe Hale Telescope is a 200-inch reflecting telescope with a Pyrex mirror blank, now aided by adaptive optics for sharper infrared imaging. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationPalomar Observatory, lead paragraph sectionQuote, Palomar Observatory, lead paragraph section
The Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research observatory
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationPalomar Observatory, Hale Telescope sectionQuote, Palomar Observatory, Hale Telescope section
The 200-inch telescope is named after astronomer and telescope builder George Ellery Hale. It was built by Caltech with a $6 million grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, using a Pyrex blank
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationPalomar Observatory, Current research sectionQuote, Palomar Observatory, Current research section
Current research programs on the 200-inch Hale Telescope cover the range of the observable universe, including studies on near-Earth asteroids, outer Solar System planets
NASA Science - Eris (Dwarf Planets)
NASA, NASADiscovery sectionQuote, Discovery section
Eris was discovered on Jan. 5, 2005, from data obtained on Oct. 21, 2003, during a Palomar Observatory survey of the outer solar system by Mike Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology; Chad Trujillo of the Gemini Observatory; and David Rabinowitz of Yale University.
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