100-inch Telescope, Mount Wilson Observatory, California - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

In the year 2000, the United States Postal Service issued a set of five souvenir sheets in conjunction with the World Stamp Expo 2000 held in Anaheim, California. These souvenir sheets had the theme of space achievement and exploration and one in particular contained six stamps featuring different astronomical observatories. One of the featured observatories was Mount Wilson located just a short distance away from where the stamp expo was held. Instead of picturing the observatory complex from the outside as the others do, this stamp shows its most famous instrument: the 100-inch Hooker telescope which saw “first light” in 1917.

The Mount Wilson Observatory was founded by George Ellery Hale (with funding from the Carnegie Institution) in 1904 primarily for solar research. But it wasn’t long before Hale started thinking big and plans were made for the construction of a 60-inch reflecting telescope at the site. The ambitious Hale started seeking funding for an 84-inch mirror even before the 60-inch telescope was operational. Upon hearing of this, Los Angeles hardware magnate John D. Hooker allegedly said “make it 100 inches and I shall pay for it.” Although Hooker reneged somewhat on his promise, the telescope was eventually named in his honor.

The construction of this telescope was fraught with problems. The finished instrument weighed 87 tons (the mirror itself weighed 9000 lbs.) yet it had to perform with the precision of a Swiss watch. Not the least of their challenges was getting the massive parts up the 9-mile dirt road to the top of Mt. Wilson. (There’s a good write-up on the construction of this telescope at the Mt. Wilson Observatory website listed below.) In all, it took about 11 years and half a million dollars to complete.

This telescope has led to many important scientific discoveries over the years. Astronomer (and U.S. stamp subject) Edwin Hubble discovered that spiral nebulae, once believed to be dust clouds in our own galaxy, are actually galaxies in their own right and that the universe is much larger than originally thought. He also did extensive analysis on the galactic “red shift” which led to the concept of an “expanding universe.” The telescope has also been used to determine diameters and compositions of stars and to more accurately measure their distance.

In 1981, the 100-inch Hooker telescope was designated as an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. And, in spite of its age (it’s over 100 years old now) still performs remarkably well although its use for scientific inquiry has been superseded by more modern facilities.

The grounds of the Mount Wilson Observatory are mostly open to the public. There are several ways to see the telescope itself as pictured on the stamp. You can see it as part of an organized tour or on a self-guided tour of the grounds. For a more aesthetic experience, you can attend one of the concerts held periodically during the season in the dome itself. According to the observatory’s website, the acoustics in the telescope’s dome “rival the great cathedrals of Europe.”

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 10-Jul-2000 Denomination: 60 cents Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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