On Saturday Jesi and I ventured up the Angeles Forest Crest Highway to go hiking on a nice little trail and to see Mount Wilson Observatory. At the trail head we loaded up our water bottles and camelback before descending down into the canyon. The trail was partially in the cool shade and partially exposed along bright white granite outcroppings. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a hike with so many people before. We couldn’t walk more than a minute or two without running into another group. That’s the price you pay for hiking within easy driving distance of Los Angeles.
Gearing up at the parking lot. This is the highest lot and what is used when the lower three lots are full. Yes, there were a whole bunch of people hiking the waterfall trail!
Even in a supposed wilderness area they have power lines in California.
Looking down the canyon. We hiked down it a mile or two and lost maybe 1000 feet of elevation.
The waterfall at the bottom of the trail. There were other trails that went further into the “back country” of the mountains. We decided to turn around so that we could get to the observatory before it closed to visitors for the day.
An old car embedded in the riverbed. The nearest road is a couple miles upstream.
At the huge parking lot for the observatory.
The top of Mount Wilson is also used for a whole menagerie of radio and TV antennas. One must wonder what sort of radiation those antennas are putting out.
Solar observatories peaking over the trees.
The 150 foot tall solar observatory built about 100 years ago. The external structure is completely detached from a hidden internal structure. This allows the outside to sway and move in the wind while holding the inside completely stationary so that there is no deviation in the mirror adjustments.
One of six small telescope installations that are ganged together using a complex system of mirrors on tracks. This allows the six small telescopes to become one HUGE telescope for the purposes of whatever these telescopes are imaging. This system was installed fairly recently.
The 60 inch telescope. At one time it was the largest telescope in the world. Now it can be rented out by the public for star parties and amateur research. You and up to 25 of your closest friends can rent it out for a whole night for about $1500.
Walking in the direction of the 100 inch telescope.
The 100 inch telescope. This became the biggest telescope in the world when it was completed around 1918. It’s still a big telescope by modern standards.
Looking at the telescope inside the dome. It is aligned vertically to create the minimal amount of stress on the delicate mirrors.
An old chair sitting on a platform 10 or so feet above the ground.
The 100 inch telescope is designed with multiple layers of covering. Each has an air gap between it and the next layer. This helps keep the mirrors inside cold and regulates the temperature without the need for air conditioning.
The 150 foot solar telescope through the trees.
The Los Angeles basin. Such a huge place full of way too many people!
The 100 inch telescope peaking up above the treetops on top of Mount Wilson.
Storms brewing over the desert and mountains to the north.