Mt. Wilson’s Telescopes

Robert A. Jones’ Essay (Oct. 18) on Edwin Hubble’s discoveries at Mt. Wilson criticizes Los Angeles for abandoning the observatory’s “lonely, dusty telescopes.” Far from abandoning Mt. Wilson, private citizens and foundations in Los Angeles have been most generous in upgrading the observatory with pioneering research tools.

The 100-inch Hooker telescope has just been computerized and outfitted with high-technology “eyeglasses” which remove the blurring in astronomical images caused by Earth’s atmosphere. This “adaptive optics” instructs a mirror to change its shape rapidly to cancel the blurring. Images of stars, which were fuzzy, dancing blobs of light, are suddenly sharp points, standing stock-still. With adaptive optics the 100-inch telescope can deliver images as sharp as if the telescope were in space. And the lion’s share of the funding came from foundations and private donors.

Two essential resources of Los Angeles made the Hooker telescope’s new power possible. The first is the skies atop Mt. Wilson, which produce the best conditions for sharp astronomical images on the North American continent. Those quiet skies allow the challenging new technology to perform at its best. Second is the generosity of the citizens and foundations.

The good “seeing,” as astronomers call it, has led to an era of revolutionary telescope building atop Mt. Wilson that rivals that of the early 20th Century. New-technology telescopes, called interferometers, were placed on Mt. Wilson in the last decade. Now Georgia State University is planning the largest optical interferometer in the world for Mt. Wilson.

The 60-inch telescope and the solar towers have been operating nearly continuously since their beginnings over eight decades ago. A 240-inch telescope has been computerized for use by remote control, permitting electronic telescope viewing from Mt. Wilson by anyone using a modem and simple computer. Students in classrooms worldwide have observed using this remote-controlled telescope.

Mt. Wilson’s telescopes, far from dusty, promise to make the observatory’s second century as productive as its first.

SALLIE BALIUNAS

Deputy Director

Mt. Wilson Institute

Pasadena