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Reflections June 2019

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America’s First “Trip” to the Moon By Robert Anderson Mount Wilson Observatory is most famous for the work of astronomers Harlow Shapley, Edwin Hubble, and Milton Humason that answered some of the fundamental questions in cosmology. Many other astronomers working here helped piece together the story of stellar evolution and how magnetism on one star, our Sun, governs its behavior. But what about the Moon? As we close in on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20th, what contributions did the Observatory make to understanding our nearest celestial companion? Ever since Galileo first trained his telescope on the Moon in 1609, humans have strived to get a better look at it. Telescopes got better, and in 1840, John Draper launched astrophotography with the first successful daguerrotype of the Moon. Mount Wilson’s George The Moon, imaged last year by Thomas Spirock on Mount Willis Ritchey elevated the art to a high level. (see the Wilson’s 6-inch Warner & Swasey refractor installed in 1914. main article in our last issue). His giant reflectors Using the “lucky imaging” technique (which uses only the recorded the best photographs of the Moon in the first sharpest images recorded at moments of the best seeing), he imaged the Moon’s four quadrants and combined them. half of the 20th Century. To Page 4 With modern detectors and processing, Spirock reveals the extraordinary quality of the mountain’s antique optics. Saturday Evening, July 13 In this issue . Moon Diver: Return to the Sea of Tranquility A talk at the Observatory by Dr. Laura Kerber, Trip to the Moon ……..…….1 The Periodic Table Turns 150….7 a planetary research scientist at NASA’s Jet News + Notes …………………2 Observatory Visiting + Map…..8 Propulsion Laboratory, followed by a chance to look Alliance of Observatories…3 through the 100-inch Telescope Mount Wilson is Open to Visitors Weather and roads permitting, Mount Wilson Observatory will be open every day. Come on up to the mountain to enjoy the beautiful weather and uplifting surroundings! The Cosmic Café is open Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering a variety of fresh-made sandwiches and other treats. The Café also sells National Forest Adventure Passes and tickets for the weekend walking tours at 11:30 am and 1:00 pm. On other days the pass can be purchased at the gas station at the bottom of the Angeles Crest Hwy. Check our website at mtwilson.edu for upcoming events and telescope rentals. See you on the top! ANNOUNCEMENTS A B O U T U S The Mount Wilson Institute NEWS + NOTES operates Mount Wilson Observatory on behalf of the 2019 CONCERTS AND TALKS AT Carnegie Institution for Science. MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY Mount Wilson Institute is dedicated to preserving the We are well into our busy season on the Observatory for scientific research mountain, with many first time visitors and fostering public appreciation coming up to enjoy concerts in the 100- of the historic cultural heritage of inch Telescope dome and science lectures the Observatory. Reflections is in the auditorium followed by viewing published quarterly by the Mount Wilson Institute. through the 100-inch or 60-inch telescopes. The Saturday Evening Talk INFORMATION and Telescope Night on July 13 is For information about the Moon themed (like this issue) to Observatory, including status, commemorate the 50th anniversary of the activities, tours, and reserving 60- first lunar landing. Visit us at Astronaut Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 takes a look inch and 100-inch telescope time, mtwilson.edu for more information. at Jupiter through the eyepiece of the 100-inch visit our website: Telescope. He visited Mount Wilson last July to LOOK THROUGH OUR use the giant telescope to view Mars during its close approach. mtwilson.edu TELESCOPES ✰ The 60-inch & 100-inch telescopes REFLECTIONS STAFF provide incredible views of some of the most beautiful objects in the night Editor/Designer sky, and are the largest in the world Robert Anderson accessible to public viewing. For [email protected] information on how you can reserve Copy Editor Angie Cookson time, available dates, fees, and make reservations — visit mtwilson.edu Special thanks to Docent Jed and click on the “Observing” tab at the Lederman for his help on Mount top. Use the same telescope Edwin Wilson’s lunar history. Hubble and Buzz Aldrin used! ✰ Don’t Want to Miss For the use of historical anything? photographs of Mount Wilson, we Buzz Aldrin in the 100-inch Telescope dome (easily identified) with Tom Meneghini, the director of the thank the Observatories of the Subscribe to Mount Wilson Observatory. Perhaps Tom is asking Buzz if he can Carnegie Institution for Science, Observatory News for updates on visit again next year to celebrate the 50th anniversary the Huntington Library, and other concerts, lectures, public telescope of the first lunar landing—and Aldrin is thinking of a sources as noted. nights, and other events. Sign up at tactful way to say he’ll probably be busy. Reflections copyright © 2019, mtwilson.edu Mount Wilson Institute PAGE ONE BANNER Help Sustain the Observatory PHOTOGRAPH (Inset) Astronomer Edwin Hubble The Observatory receives no regular support from government or at the Newtonian focus of the institutions.We rely on donors, a few small grants, and the revenue from 100-inch telescope on Mount our telescope nights to fund our continued operation.You can help Wilson, circa 1923. ensure the continued operation of this world class, science heritage site with your tax-deductible gift. We welcome donations of any size!Visit mtwilson.edu for information on how to support the Observatory through donations, memberships, or volunteering. Thanks. REFLECTIONS 2 JUNE 2019 maintain their facilities and to extend public A LETTER FROM outreach programs for education. Each Observatory SAM HALE, CHAIRMAN OF represented is unique in its own history and level of public support. Some, like Griffith Observatory are THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES well funded by private and government support, but others are not. For instance, Yerkes Observatory near Preliminary Meeting of the Alliance Chicago (also founded by my grandfather George of Historic Observatories Ellery Hale) has recently been shuttered by the University of Chicago, and is searching for a way to On June 15-16, Mount Wilson Observatory hosted reopen its doors. In many ways it is in the same the first meeting of the Alliance of Historic situation Mount Wilson Observatory was in back in Observatories, a new organization being formed to 1985 when the Carnegie Institute of Washington promote the longterm support of observatories that withdrew its support in order to devote its limited played key roles in advancing our understating of the financial resources to building the next generation of Cosmos. The idea is to form a loose alliance that will big telescopes in Chile. Because the public cares explore ways in which we can support each other about history, science, and education we are thriving through shared promotion, lobbying, and other and so will Yerkes. means to ensure that the remarkable legacy of these observatories is preserved for future generations, to We had a very productive meeting to explore ways inspire and educate the next generation of scientists. in which we can help promote each other’s long-term success. Each observatory will benefit from this In attendance, we had representatives from Yerkes interconnection. My grandfather foresaw the need to Observatory, Lowell Observatory, Lick Observatory, network on a grand scale, both nationally and Griffith Observatory, Palomar Observatory, the internationally, to achieve his goals, and so shall we. Vatican Observatory in Arizona, and of course Mount Wilson Observatory. The first session took Sincerely, place in the 100-inch Telescope dome, which made a great conference room to discuss the future of historic observatories. While many (including Mount Sam Hale Wilson) are still doing cutting edge astronomical Chairman of the Board of Trustees research, they are all in need of public support to Mount Wilson Institute REFLECTIONS 3 JUNE 2019 Trip to the Moon — "om page 1` kilometer in diameter. Shoemaker was able to begin reconstructing the order of events that created the craters In 1919, one hundred years ago, Francis Pease, Ritchey’s and other features on the lunar surface—lunar protege and the chief engineer of the 100-inch Telescope, stratigraphy. Eventually, he completed 50 maps, covering used the Moon as an easy target to test the newly finished most of the Moon visible from Earth.1 giant. Needing only short exposures to capture the Moon’s bright light, Pease began making an extensive collection of One of the early concerns with landing on the Moon (or 8 x 10-inch lunar plates that would be used to illustrate anything else) is the basic question: is there a firm spot to popular articles on the Moon for decades. It was, in some land on, or will one sink into a bed of dust? Way back in sense, America’s first “trip” to the Moon made possible by 1927, Mount Wilson astronomers Seth Nicholson and the first truly big science project: the telescope funded by Edison Pettit answered the question. They had built a Andrew Carnegie and John Hooker (who paid for the remarkably sensitive device that could measure the faint hundred inch mirror). heat from stars, planets, and the surface of the Moon, pioneering astronomy outside the visible spectrum—in the infrared. During an eclipse, they measured the surface temperature of the Moon as the Earth’s shadow swept across it. The temperature showed virtually no time delay in following the curve of radiation received from the Sun as the eclipse proceeded.
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