Digital Exhibits

Anthropologists believe indigenous peoples across the Americas observed the heavens long before European arrival. Astronomy played an important role in early Native American cultures and served as the basis for governance, agricultural practices, and cosmogonic narratives. Evidence indicates centuries before Palomar Observatory development local indigenous peoples, the Payómkawichum or Luiseño, had an extensive knowledge of the night sky and a frequent presence on Palomar Mountain. The Luiseño may fairly be called the First Palomar Astronomers.

Russell W. Porter (1871 – 1949) was an American engineer, Arctic explorer, amateur astronomer, and architect. His career is best remembered for his contributions in two areas: his work with Palomar Observatory and and his role as a cofounder of amateur telescope making in the United States.

George Hale recruited Porter to join Caltech and the 200-inch telescope project in 1928. At Caltech Porter was central in developing the 200-inch telescope design and observatory architecture. Then during observatory construction Porter created his Giants of Palomar illustration series—what most consider his defining contribution to astronomy.

Our digital exhibit “Porter at Caltech” documents Porter’s many contributions to creating Palomar Observatory and its enduring legacy.

Working at Palomar Observatory, photographer WIlliam Miller developed novel methods to photograph the distant universe in full color with the Hale and Samuel Oschin telescopes. Miller's photographs were nothing short of revolutionary, embraced by professional astronomers and enthusiasts alike, and widely published in mainstream outlets like Life and National Geographic magazines. Our digital exhibit “The Universe in Color” chronicles Miller’s Palomar work, featuring many of his most famous photographs and the lasting impressions they have made to this day.

The Hale Telescope dome is the central feature of the Palomar Observatory compound, and a grand expression of architecture and engineering in its own right. Our digital exhibit “Hale Telescope Dome: Development and Evolution” depicts the depression-era construction and subsequent update of the Hale dome from inception to present day. It prominently features many historical photographs of the observatory construction team and their families whose dedication to the project created the iconic facility we know as Palomar Observatory today.

The Hale Telescope’s metaphoric heart is the 200-inch primary mirror—itself among the most challenging engineering elements in telescope development. The mirror blank was cast in upstate New York, figured in Pasadena, and eventually combined with the telescope structure at the Palomar summit. In addition to the engineering challenges of fabricating this enormous optic to exacting tolerances, transporting and safeguarding the massive mirror presented its own set of daunting logistical challenges. Our digital exhibit “Hale Telescope Mirror Transit” is a travel-log style photo album for the mirror’s journeys, with many photographs from the eventful days in Spring 1936 and Fall 1947 as the mirror eventually made its way to its final home in the Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory.