Comments on: Mountain Astronomy Party!

By: Mt. Wilson Observed | Lascher at Large

Mt. Wilson Observed | Lascher at Large — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:06:02 +0000

[...] where Albert Einstein may have set foot during a visit. We fantasized about joining one of the viewing parties often hosted at the observatory. We thrilled that, a century later, the observatory still contributes to our unfolding [...]

By: Wish the Observatory Good Luck! at Asymptotia

Wish the Observatory Good Luck! at Asymptotia — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:52:02 +0000

[...] website, and also a couple of posts I did about Mount Wilson and the Observatory, here and [...]

By: Smoke at Asymptotia

Smoke at Asymptotia — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:19:14 +0000

[...] survives ok. If you’re not familiar with the significance of the Mount Wilson Observatory, read here and [...]

By: Paul Antony

Paul Antony — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:03:39 +0000

astronomy party! sounds really cool! this really is a great (and unique) idea.. you can also couple this adventure with hiking. it would be fun!

By: Bilal

Bilal — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:45:24 +0000

This is an excellent post Clifford. Thanks for sharing the experience. I still remember my first astronomy book that my mother bought for me. It was called, “Fifty Facts About Space.” That was ages, and ages ago.

By: Clifford

Clifford — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:19:43 +0000

Hmmm, not that I know of. I heard of a great beer place in Atwater Village (I think) that is supposed to be really good, but I do not know if they do that sort of event. Maybe another reader knows…. Sounds like fun though!

Cheers,

-cvj

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:08:53 +0000

This might be a random question, but I think you’re the person most likely to know the answer…
There’s a pub in Houston (my hometown) that, once a week, features a beer; whoever buys a pint of that beer gets to keep the logo glass that it comes in.

Is there any bar or pub-type place in LA that does something similar?

By: Yvette

Yvette — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:34:53 +0000

They sold it to the local county parks commission. I don’t know what exactly the plans are (and suspect they don’t know themselves) but there’s a chance the scope will still be used.

Problem with it is it’s been neglected these past few years since CWRU has a scope out on Kitt Peak, so the telescope mirror needs to be realuminized and stuff like that. So we’ll see what happens.

By: Clifford

Clifford — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:10:14 +0000

Oh dear… they sold it? To a private concern, or will it still be available for use of people from the general populace?

-cvj

By: Yvette

Yvette — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:53:00 +0000

Aren’t star parties fun? My last one on this scale was just a few weeks ago actually- the university was finally going to sell our old observatory an hour outside Cleveland because it hasn’t been used for years, including its 38″, but a few of us geeks convinced an old astronomer to have one last night with her and it was utterly gorgeous. Not a night we’ll be forgetting for a long, long time…

I was also lucky enough in my teenage years to spend a few nights looking with the naked eye using a 61″ at Mount Bigelow, Arizona. I always thought even then that the best way to get more money for the sciences would be to get a bunch of politicians up to one of those huge telescopes for a night of observing, as it’s enough to bring anyone to their knees.

By: Jonathan Lubin

Jonathan Lubin — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:25:32 +0000

Presumably they schedule these things only when the moon is full.

In the early years of this century, my partner and I went to an event run by the Columbia Alumni Club at Mt. Wilson. We had dinner in the dome of the 100-inch instrument; while we were eating, and without telling us, they started up the rotation of the dome. Everything rotates, except the telescope. I think we all thought that it was the telescope that was rotating. The mechanism was so smooth, and the acceleration was so slight, that we were totally unaware that we were moving. Only the sight of the rising full moon sailing past the open observing-slot made it clear that we were in motion.

For me the great observing moment was the globular cluster they showed us. I think it was the well-known one in Hercules. In an amateur scope, they look like smudges, but in a big instrument, you can see the individual stars, and the effect is entirely different.

By: Aimee

Aimee — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:01:44 +0000

Thanks Clifford! Such great photos and comments. And I’m glad you leave the booking info too because it is something others should definitely check out– a really, really amazing thing that they open it up to the public.