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James C Lick Obervatory |
 Map For This Trip |
 Books on This Area |
The halls of the main building are lined with celestial pictures taken from
the observatory. It's mind blowing to see a shot of a nebula next to a shot
of the Andromeda Galaxy. Makes you feel about the size of baby flea. There
is no entrance fee, but stop by the gift shop and pick up a "glowing meteor",
if you're so inclined. The view from Mount Hamilton is spectacular. You can
see all the way to Yosemite on a clear day. After our tour we walked all the
way around the building (which was built in 1875) to clear our heads for the
ride home (I was still a bit light in the noggin). On our way out we stopped
by one of the smaller buildings.
We hiked up the driveway among the residences to get there, and on our way,
were almost run over by an angry teenager, driving a big Suburban. We decided
she was angry because she has to
live with her preoccupied parents on top of a mountain in the middle of
nowhere. We made it to the building, which looks every bit the year it was
built, 1956. For a minute I had a flash back to being at Disneyland when I
was 6 and going on the "through the microscope" ride Woah! The lens of this
smaller scope only weighed 4 tons (puny). The lighting was really bad in this
building and we spent only a minute trying to figure it out before we called
it a day. Take the time to go to The Lick Observatory if you have the chance.
It's really a very historical and interesting place. To get there, take the
Alum Rock exit East off of Highway 280. Travel towards the hills for a few miles,
then make a right turn onto Mt Hamilton Road.
We have also recommended some books on the subject. Just click on the book above and check them out!
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