The observatory will be closed to the public from Wednesday Dec. 24 - Saturday Jan. 3. We will reopen to the public Sunday Jan 4. Happy holidays, and we look forward to seeing you in the new year!
Updated Wed 17 Dec 2025 8:12 pm PST
From top to bottom, the 200-inch (5.1-meter) Hale Telescope, the 48-inch (1.2-meter) Samuel Oschin Telescope, and the 60-inch (1.5-meter) telescope. (Palomar/Caltech)
More on the Palomar telescopes, in particular the Hale Telescope, on our full website.
Map of the Observatory showing the location of areas accessible to visitors. (Palomar/Caltech)
A virtual tour of the public areas is available on our full website.
Paved path that leads from the parking lot to the Hale Telescope dome. To the right, the Visitor Center's access ramp. (Palomar/Caltech)
Steps to the Visitors Gallery inside the Hale Telescope dome. (Palomar/Caltech)
Please be aware that some on-line and GPS programs can give incorrect directions to Palomar Observatory. We recommend consulting the Google Maps link given above.
Map of Southern California and Palomar Observatory. (Palomar/Caltech)
| From the Los Angeles area | 3 hours |
| From downtown San Diego | 2 hours |
| From Escondido | 1 hour |
| From Temecula | 1 hour |
The following options are available to Palomar Observatory visitors:
Most Palomar visitors will tour the accessible areas (see Visiting Palomar) on their own. To facilitate self-guided tours please listen to the mp3 tour podcast.