Carnegie and Mount Wilson

Observatorys Telescopes
Currently pursuing doctoral studies in clinical psychology at the
Pacifica Graduate Institute, Jordan Perzik has a passion for
astronomy. He has clocked hundreds of observing hours at the
Mount Wilson Observatory, which is funded by the Carnegie
Institute for Science. Jordan Perzik has employed a historic
telescope that measures 60 inches and was set in place by
George Ellery Hale in 1908.
Originally from Chicago, Hale was a pioneer in astrophysics who
discovered solar magnetism and invented the spectroheliograph.
In 1908 he convinced the newly established Carnegie Institution
of Washington to fund the Mount Wilson Observatory in the
mountains near Pasadena. The 60-inch telescope was ultimately
superseded by the 100-inch Hooker telescope, which was the
largest in the world when constructed. In 1928 a 200-inch
telescope was commenced on Palomar Mountain and in 1969
Carnegie astronomers set up reflecting telescopes in the southern
hemisphere at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile's Atacama
Desert. By 1986, pollution in the Los Angeles basin had reached
such a level that primary observing activities were transferred to
Las Campanas, which currently features twin 6.5-meter reflectors.