Palomar Observatory is among the most iconic scientific facilities in the world, and a crown jewel in the research traditions of Caltech. Conceived of nearly 100 years ago, the observatory has been in continuous scientific operation since the mid-30s, and remains productive and relevant today. Palomar is most directly the vision of George Ellery Hale (1868–1938). In a tour-de-force effort framed by the challenges of the Great Depression and the Second World War, Hale and a dedicated group of astronomers, engineers, technicians, and builders secured funding, designed the telescopes and site, and created the Observatory in much the same state as it exists today.
George Ellery Hale was the person most responsible for the building of Palomar Observatory. A graduate of MIT and a founder of Caltech, in 1928 he secured a grant of $6 million from the Rockefeller Foundation for the fabrication of a 200-inch reflecting telescope.[1] During the 1930s, he assembled a remarkable team of engineers and designers from academia and industry. Under his direction, these people set to work on the mirror, on the mounting, and on the dome and its support facilities on Palomar Mountain. A triumph of innovation, insight, persistence, and precision the telescope was dedicated in June 1948 ten years after Hale's death.[2] This is the Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory, an instrument that after many decades of service continues to play a leading role in the advancement of astronomy and astrophysics.
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS
This is a Virtual Geocache. Thus, there is nothing to be found here other than information.
The Obervatory is free and open to the public year round 9am-3:30pm (except for certain holidays and for inclement weather). Please visit their website ( http://sites.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/visitor/#miv ) before planning to visit.
To log this cache you must visit the observatory in person, and answer the following questions, and send answers to me via geocaching messaging.
You must enter the the observatory and ascend the 46 steps to the telescope viewing area.
1 - At the top of the stairs there are 2 signs. What does the upper sign say?
2 - The first exhibit you will see to the the right is a scale model. What is the scale model of and what scale is it?
3 - Please include a photo (your face is not required) along with your log showing that you were there. Perhaps pointing to something you found to be really cool.
Selfies, family, or group photos are at your discretion.
If you are in a geocaching group or family, the group or family photo will count for all present.
No non-visit or "armchair" logging, all visits must be in person at the actual physical location and must include the indicated photo. All logs and photos are subject to verification for this after logging, and those that are found to be not valid, or those in question that cannot be validated on follow-up will result in deletion of the log.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog (https://www.geocaching.com/blog/2023/06/introducing-virtual-rewards-4-0/)