[Palomar Observatory]

The Palomar Observatory is a center for astronomical research operated by the California Institute of Technology. It was established in 1928 on the Palomar Mountain range by astrophysicist George Ellery Hale. It is the home to the eponymic Hale Telescope which was the largest of its kind during its first light in 1949. With generous funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Palomar Observatory is the site of significant discoveries of extraterrestrial bodies: from quasars, asteroids, moons, stars, and the first detection of Halley’s Comet. The innovations of the Hale Telescope were unrivaled and have been instrumental to astronomical research. The observatory additionally has the Samuel Oschin Telescope and two other active telescopes on the facilities. The sleek art deco design of the observatory was created by explorer and telescope maker, Russel W. Porter, under the supervision of mathematician Charles Max Mason and polymath Theodore von Karman. This historic research site remains in use in collaboration with Yale University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the National Optical Observatories of China and is open to the public, featuring a visitor center with guided tours and events.