His tomb is marked by a plaque just out of sightīeneath the observing floor and accessed by a narrow stairwell at the side ofĮra of great refractors lasted less than a century. Lick was re-interred in the black-brick pier base for the Great Refractor and Remember) and not just somewhere in the grounds as you might expect. For James Lick was later exhumed and buriedĪt the observatory (he’d built the place instead of a pyramid mausoleum, The event, James Lick died a decade before the observatory was finished, but Suggested Lick build an observatory instead of a pyramid, which Lick did. Obviously – in downtown at Fourth and Market.įor the residents of San Francisco, Lick had a cultured friend who owned a 6”Ĭlark refractor and regularly went into the local hills to observe. Himself a giant pyramid there – you know like the ones in Egypt, only bigger Lick had bought up bigĬhunks of San Francisco after the Gold Rush, so his first thought was to build He was looking for a grand way to memorialise himself. George Ellery Hale, James Lick had no particular interest in astronomy. Other founders and funders of great 19 th C. The 40” at Yerkes (sadly no longer operational, here pictured when I visited The 36” refractor at Lick is second only to this, Similar observatories like Mount Wilson and Lowell (and so beyond my budget, But theĬosts (at Lick effectively via a hefty donation) are even higher than at other Private viewing? Oh yes, that’s possible. The viewing session with the 36” refractor which started in early evening and Was very in-depth and will get its own article. Tour and viewing evening for ‘Friends of Lick Observatory’ members. Such truly public open evenings sell out quicklyĪnd I wanted a more astronomy-centred experience, so I booked on an observatory Theseĭays, the sessions are generally scheduled as an encore to other events, suchĪs ‘Summer Series’ concerts. James Lick stipulated that the Great Refractor shouldīe made available for public viewing sessions and it always has been. Observatory on Mount Hamilton above San Jose in California, a singular experienceįor an observer today (as well as a unique piece of history). That makes the 36” ‘Great Refractor’, at Lick Size will be made in future: not enough aperture for the pro’s too big andĮxpensive for amateurs. One thing is certain, no astronomical lenses of this Wisconsin – sadly ceased operations in 2018 and may never see starlight again. The largest of them all – another Clark product, the 40” at Yerkes in Operational refractor ever made for general astronomy and is the largest still In fact, the 36” at Lick is the second largest Most of the big refractors were a size down from this Late nineteenth century, many of them by the firm of AlvanĬlark in Massachusetts. Refracting telescopes built for (essentially visual) professional use in the The Lick 36” is one of a number of giant achromatic Reflector at Mount Wilson and the 24” Clark refractor at Mars Hill). Is the third of my (slightly cheeky) reviews of world-famous telescopes and theĮxperience of visiting and using them (I have also reviewed the 60” Hale Alvan Clark 36” Refractor (Lick Observatory)
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