Palomar Mountain News

For 45 years the famous Palomar Mountain Observatory was the largest ‘Eye to the Sky’ in the World. Back in 1975 or so, we attending an evening event there and was so impressed by the wait time for astronomers to book their stay. We were told the calendar was booked solid and researchers had to reserve their dates two years in advance. It is so interesting to me to see the distance they traveled to get here. As such a small, rural community, an hour from the nearest city, it is remarkable to have such a vast reach of visitors.

From: Rick Burruss, Palomar Observatory Site Superintendent

I estimate that since 1950, Palomar observatory has welcomed well over 100,000 researchers from all over the world, primarily from the institutions listed below:

• California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, CA
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA
• Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
• National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC)
• Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
• American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York
• Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
• Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
• University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
• University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
• University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)
• Harvard University, Cambridge, Maine
• Princeton University, New Jersey
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• University of Chicago
• University of Arizona
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Washington
• University of Hawaii
• University of Toronto
• Carnegie Institution for Science, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
• Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
• Pennsylvania State University
• Ohio State University

Our ‘Save Palomar Mountain Task Force’ has been coached by two attorneys to gather as much proof of the use and enjoyment of the PUBLIC from off the mountain and around the world. This is being done with a goal to stop the 13 story towers carrying 500,000 Volts of power up from beautiful Lake Henshaw and butchering this exceptionally gorgeous mountain. One option for the route could be cutting all along our only east/west roads through the enchanting valleys on East Grade, then clearly visible from Valley Center and North County as the towers could travel all along the rim, through the State Park and down across Pauma Valley. We’re asking you to please share your comments to preserve the beauty of Palomar for future generations to enjoy from around the world.

Thank you soooo much!

Bonnie Phelps – enjoying our Dark Sky with those Sparkling Stars!

760-533-1753