June 2015 a B O U T U S
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s u m m e r . q u a r t e r / j u n e . 2 0 1 5 R EFLECTIONS t h e u n i v e r s e e x p a n d e d h e r e The Admirable Mr. Ellerman by m. morgan library At age 18, George Ellery Hale enrolled in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conducting research during summers at his private Kenwood Observatory (adjacent to his parents’ home). After gradu- huntington ation, Hale began full-time astronomical research at Kenwood, hir- ing photographer Ferdinand Ellerman to assist him. Ellerman, one year younger than Hale, had only a high-school education (much later, an honorary Master of Arts degree was conferred upon him by Occidental College in California in recognition of his services to astrophysics), but he had acquired considerable skill in photography and machine tools. Ellerman was a very quick study, rapidly gain- ing knowledge of astronomy’s physical aspects, and especially solar spectroscopy. Hale’s hiring of Ellerman in 1892 began a nearly half-century rela- a relaxing moment. George Ellery Hale and Ferdinand Ellerman enjoy the tionship. As Walter S. Adams wrote on Ellerman’s passing in 1940, peaceful environment at Mount Wilson sometime around 1905. Perhaps Ellerman “The combination of these two men was a very strong one — the is wearing the “high mountain boots” that Adams described (see page 4), though the ten-gallon hat seems to be missing. active, brilliant mind of Hale constantly raising new problems in methods and apparatus in the solution of which the experience and rare observational skill of Ellerman were invaluable.” the two men left the building, the 37½-ton floor’s supporting cable broke, and the floor crashed to the ground, exploding into a heap of When Hale established Yerkes Observatory, Ellerman came along, rubble. contributing to the design, construction, and operation of a spec- troheliograph for the 40-inch telescope and taking part in observa- Ellerman was the first astronomer to join Hale in 1904 at the new so- tions. Astronomers of these days of yore had more adventures than lar observatory at Mount Wilson. (Walter S. Adams, E. E. Barnard, and one might surmise, given the relative comfort of modern observing. t o p a g e 4 In just one example, in May 1897, E. E. Barnard and Ellerman were scheduled to observe nebulae one evening using the 40-inch refrac- tor at Yerkes. At around 12:45 a.m., the men heard a noise when they In this issue ... raised the elevated floor, but they could not discern the source of the News + Notes .........................................2 Expanding Public Outreach Activities ......7 sound. After two and a half hours of observation, Barnard unchar- From the Observatory ..............................3 Exploring the Towercam ..........................7 acteristically cut short his typical all-night observation. Soon after Nostalgic Produce Crate Labels ...............6 Observatory Visiting & Map .....................8 Mount Wilson Observatory Is Open to Visitors Weather and roads permitting, Mount Wilson Observatory is open to the public every day for the season. 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 to visitors. At the café you may purchase a National Forest Adventure Pass and tickets for the weekend walking tours. The Cosmic Café is located in the Pavilion c o s m i c overlooking the large parking lot at the entrance to the Observatory. Members of Friends of Mount Wilson Observatory ´ enjoy a 10 percent discount on food and memorabilia. We will see you at the top! CAFE announcements reflections 1 june 2015 a b o u t u s The Mount Wilson Institute operates news + notes Mount Wilson Observatory on behalf CUREA 2015 EDUCATION PROGRAM, JUNE 14–27 of the Carnegie Institution for Science. The 2015 CUREA (Consortium for Undergraduate Research and Education in Astronomy) program, now in its 26th year, is currently underway at Mount Wilson Observatory. Of the eight students enrolled this Mount Wilson Institute is dedicated to year, half are from the U.S. and half from abroad; the group is also balanced with four women and four preserving the Observatory for scien- men. The international students are from India, Afghanistan, Brazil, and South Korea. The U.S. students attend University of Vermont, University of Southern Mississippi, Los Angeles Valley College, and Kenyon tific research and fostering public appre- College. New to the staff this year is John Varsik, Research Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technol- ogy, based at Big Bear Solar Observatory. He is part of the team building and operating Big Bear’s New Solar ciation of the historic cultural heritage Telescope, the largest-aperture solar telescope in the world. of the Observatory. Reflections is pub- In the 2-week CUREA program, the first week is devoted to classroom sessions and both day and night ob- serving. During the second week, each student pursues a unique observing/research project she or he has lished quarterly by the Friends of Mount chosen, taking original observations, processing and analyzing the data, and reporting results to the group. The students will operate Mount Wilson’s 16-inch Meade LX200 telescope for their night-time program, Wilson Observatory (FOMWO). with new drive controls in a new dome. The telescope drive control system was upgraded last fall with a system from Sidereal Technology that improves both closed-loop autoguiding and dead-pointing accuracy INFORMATION across the sky. This spring, the 16-inch was relocated to the Cooke Dome near the Monastery, formerly For information about the Observa- home to a 24-inch telescope used by the Telescopes In Education (TIE) program. The re-installation, led tory, including status, activities, tours, by MWO volunteers Ken and Larry Evans, makes room in the dome nearest the 60-inch telescope for the and how to join the Friends of Mount return of the 6-inch Brashear refractor, which is being restored by CHARA superintendent Larry Webster, Wilson Observatory, visit our website with the assistance of CUREA staff member John Briggs. at www.mtwilson.edu. OBSERVATORY COPES WITH HISTORIC CALIFORNIA DROUGHT ✰ In the 112 years since Mount Wilson Observatory was founded, the current drought situation is the most REFLECTIONS STAFF challenging it has ever faced. The Observatory derives its water from two wells in the former Strains Camp, Editor/Designer 300 feet below the potable water tank located between the 150-foot solar tower and the 60-inch telescope, Marilyn Morgan [email protected] where the water is pumped. Despite this season’s 23.74 inches of rainfall, the upper well has not recharged at all. The lower well is recharging at a rate of about 1,000 gallons a week currently; however, it is impos- Associate Editor Bob Eklund sible to forecast how long this will last. [email protected] Between March 2014 and March 2015, the Observatory used approximately 300,000 gallons of water. During the months of December through March, the Observatory operated on a minimal staff and was us- ✰ ing an average of 400 gallons of water a day. Since April, when the staff and people visiting the Observatory For the use of historical photographs increased, usage has gone up to about 500 gallons a day. Since the well is not refilling anywhere near as fast of Mount Wilson, we thank the Obser- as the water is being used, water must be brought in, and mountain residents are taking stringent measures vatories of the Carnegie Institution for to conserve water. These include doing laundry and taking showers down in the city; bringing in bottled Science, the Huntington Library, Don water for drinking; and re-using dishwater or using paper plates and dishes to minimize dishwashing. Nicholson, and other sources as noted. —Bob Eklund Reflections copyright © 2015, Mount Wilson Institute page one banner photographs FOMWO Membership Star-forming regions in the Witch Head nebula All are invited to join the Friends of Mount Wilson Observatory. The Observatory receives no continu- in Orion, just off the hunter’s knee, imaged by ing state or federal support. You can help ensure the continued operation of this science heritage site NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer. (Inset) Edwin Hubble at the Newtonian focus with your tax-deductible gift. FOMWO offers a variety of membership levels and benefits. For informa- of the 100-inch telescope on Mount Wilson, tion on how to become a FOMWO member, visit www.mtwilson.edu. The Observatory welcomes donations circa 1923. and volunteer efforts of all kinds, and we thank you. reflections 2 june 2015 Robin & Art With sadness we note the passing of Robin Mason and Art Vaughan. Robin, who died last month, co-produced The Journey to Palomar with her husband Todd. It debuted on PBS as a prime time special in 2008. What started in 1998 as a 30-minute documentary on the 200-inch telescope at Palomar that the Masons estimated would be a 12-month project morphed into an hour and a half la- bor of love on the life of George Ellery Hale, focusing to In stepped Art, formerly a staff astronomer at Carnegie in a great degree on Mount Wilson. Pasadena, along with Bob Ferguson, with a solution for Robin did the bulk of the research on the project, keeping the doors open. They would create an entity later spending countless hours in the archives at Caltech, known as the Mount Wilson Institute to manage the facili- Carnegie Observatories, the Corning Glass Works, and ties on the mountain while Carnegie would continue their more.