MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY
Read moreThe Mount Wilson Observatory was founded in 1904 by George Ellery Hale, under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. That year, the astronomer moved the Snow Solar telescope from the Yerkes Observatory - which specialized in observing the Sun - to the more favorable weather conditions on Mount Wilson. With a small group of scientists and engineers, he began to develop what would become one of the world's leading astronomical research facilities.
The Hooker telescope, then the world's largest at 2.5 m in diameter, was commissioned in 1909. Because of the need to transport various parts from the valley to the summit of the site - at an altitude of 1,742 m - its construction proved tedious. Above all, it took place at a time when Los Angeles and its sprawling suburbs were not as developed: they generated far less of today's problematic light pollution - a parameter rarely considered at the time, in any country.
The Mount Wilson Observatory is also inseparably linked with one of the most renowned astronomers of all time: Edwin Hubble (1889-1953). Thanks to the Hooker telescope, he discovered the distant nature of galaxies and their expansion, the cornerstone of the future theory of the birth of the Universe, the famous Big Bang. In addition to the observatory itself, exploring the site is very pleasant, as the area is partly wooded and boasts many attractive viewpoints.