Mt. Wilson Observatory

The San Gabriel Mountains run east-west across the north side of the Los Angeles Basin.  One peak, in particular, Mt. Wilson, plays a big part in LA life and, while it isn’t the tallest mountain in the range, it certainly is recognizable from below because of the antennas.  I recently made my first drive up the mountain to explore the observatory. When I rounded the curve in the road and saw these structures looming before me, I had to stop.  These towers remind me of pulp science fiction art.

There are over two dozen broadcasting stations/networks that use Mt. Wilson.

Exploring the complex

I didn’t spend much time enjoying this view because I was stopped in the middle of a winding mountain road.  I quickly took a photo and moved on up the mountain to the Mt. Wilson Observatory.  I’ve wanted to make this visit for ages, and now on one of the hottest possible days, I was here.  The weather was still very warm in the mountains and the sun was shining fiercely. My goal was the Cosmic Cafe where my daughter and I were to purchase our tickets for the docent-led tour later in the afternoon.

Tickets secured, we then had three hours to wait until the tour took place.  The volunteer in the cafe suggested a couple nearby spots to see.

We wandered up the hill and on past all the telescopes until we came to Echo Rock.  From here one can see the mountains stretching away toward the east.

I’m glad we did this in the morning.  The sun was very hot and there isn’t any shade on Echo Rock!

Our walk gave us a chance to check out the Observatory Museum.  This really isn’t included in the tour.  It’s a small venue but filled with interesting information.

There aren’t many actual exhibits, but instead framed information pictured on the walls. The above photo should give you an idea of what I’m talking about.

We returned to the cafe for lunch.  I had expected a restaurant with indoor seating.  Nope, this venue is similar to a snack bar.  It’s also a good place to sit and watch the birds.  I don’t do well with bird photography but Halley likes to capture them.  There were hummingbird feeders which the birds really liked.

Telescopes, at last!

Finally, our tour started and we, along with several others, started off again up toward the observatories.  Our first stop was the 150 ft solar telescope.  This was awesome.  It simply towered above us.  We went inside to observe the very bright white light coming down from the dome above.  The neatest part of this demonstration was when the docent placed a ball representing Jupiter and a small silver BB for the Earth on the white circle of the sun.  My goodness, our planet is small!  It’s the about the same size as the sunspot!

The great thing about this tour was that we went inside the domes to get an up-close look at the telescopes.  The 60-inch and the 100-inch telescopes were right there where I could touch them!

The dome was open a bit in the shot above.  We were lucky to be there when the volunteer was ready to leave. He had opened the dome for us.  We were there when he closed it.  Is my nerdy-geek side showing? I can’t help it.  Albert Einstein visited Mt. Wilson in 1931.  Edwin Hubble (as in the Hubble Telescope) worked here in 1919 and proved that the universe is much larger than anyone previously thought.   I can’t help but be excited.

If you are considering a visit, do check with the observatory’s website. I’ve included a link above.

A few added tips!

• Mt Wilson is closed during the winter months.  Plan your visit before November!
• There is a fee to park.  You can get a parking pass at the cafe.  If you have a National Park pass, use it instead and save some money.
• There are public restrooms near the cafe.  I didn’t see them anywhere else in the complex.
• Where a hat and good shoes.  There is a lot of walking and stairs. (I’ve already mentioned the sun)
• Allow plenty of time.  The docent led tour takes two hours.

To see more photos from my visit, please click here.