SPACE — On December 20, 1904, the Mount Wilson Observatory was founded. The astronomical observatory was the brainchild of solar astronomer George Ellery Hale.
Ellery Hale was a professor at the University of Chicago who is best known for discovering magnetic fields in sunspots.
Initially, in 1889, two Harvard astronomers began testing observing conditions at Mount Wilson. But rain and snow damaged many of their instruments.
Not to mention, clouds blocked their view of the stars. Finally, they gave up on making the telescope, but they had ordered glass for the lens.
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The astronomers then gave it to Hale. After that, Hale completed construction in Wisconsin, because he thought Mount Wilson was too far from Chicago.
Later, he visited Mount Wilson in 1903 and changed his mind when he saw how clear the sky was. He signed a 99-year land lease in June 1904.
On December 20, he received word that the Carnegie Institution would fund the observatory. Source: Space.com
2023-12-20 14:25:00
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