Palomar Observatory

Palomar Observatory crowns the Palomar Mountains of San Diego County, California, one of the most storied research observatories in the world and still an active site for discovery today.

About Palomar Observatory

Owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Palomar Observatory grants research time to Caltech and its partners, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Yale University, and the National Astronomical Observatories of China. The observatory sits at an elevation of 1,712 metres.

History

Palomar Observatory was founded in 1928. Its first instrument was an 18-inch Schmidt camera installed in 1936, since decommissioned along with the later Palomar Testbed Interferometer, as the site grew into the multi-telescope facility it is today.

Telescopes & research

The observatory's flagship instrument is the 200-inch (5.1 m) Hale Telescope, one of the most famous telescopes in astronomical history. Alongside it operate the 48-inch Samuel Oschin telescope, now dedicated to the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) survey, the Palomar 60-inch (1.5 m) Telescope, and the 30-centimetre Gattini-IR telescope.

Location & getting there

Palomar Observatory sits atop the Palomar Mountains in San Diego County, California, at 1,712 metres elevation, part of the North America region on Star Register's map.

Visiting Palomar Observatory

Check Caltech's official Palomar Observatory website for current visiting hours, tour information, and any tickets required before you travel.

See your named star from here

Few instruments are better equipped to find a star at precise coordinates than the 200-inch Hale Telescope, and that is exactly the information you receive when you name a star through Star Register. Name a star, or explore the catalogue of stars already named.