Lick Observatory

The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory. It is owned and operated by the University of California. It is on Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA. The observatory is managed by the University of California Observatories. Its headquarters is on the campus of University of California, Santa Cruz.

For instructions on use, see Template:Infobox Observatory
Location	near San Jose, California

Significant discoveries

The following astronomical objects were discovered at Lick Observatory:

• Several moons of Jupiter
  • Amalthea
  • Ananke
  • Elara
  • Himalia
  • Lysithea
  • Sinope (disputed)
• Near-Earth asteroid (29075) 1950 DA
• Several extrasolar planets
  • Quintuple planet system
    • 55 Cancri
  • Triple planet system
    • Upsilon Andromedae (with Whipple Observatory)
  • Double planet systems
    • HD 38529 (with Keck Observatory)
    • HD 12661 (with Keck)
    • Gliese 876 (with Keck)
    • 47 Ursae Majoris

Issues

Due to its proximity to San Jose, light pollution and skyglow are an issue for the observatory. This was fine in the past, as San Jose used sodium ion bulbs, whose light were easy to filter out. However, due to safety concerns, LED lights which cannot be filtered out have been installed in San Jose. San Jose dims its lights when the observatory is active.

Lick Observatory Media

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  Layout of the Lick Observatory. The dome housing the 91-centimeter (36-inch) Great Lick refractor telescope is on the right.

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  The Lick Observatory. Photogravure from a photograph.

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  The Great Lick 91-centimeter (36-inch) refractor, in an 1889 engraving

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  Lick Observatory from Grant Ranch Park

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  Lick Observatory and Mount Hamilton, looking east on takeoff from Mineta San José International Airport

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  Simulation of Amalthea orbiting Jupiter

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  Lick Observatory's Shane 120-inch (3-meter) telescope (center) along with the nearby Automated Planet Finder 100-inch (250-centimeter) reflector

References

• Campbell, William Wallace (1902). "The Lick Observatory And Its Problems". Overland Monthly, and Out West Magazine. XL (3): 321–. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
• Vasilevskis, S. and Osterbrock, D. E. (1989) "Charles Donald Shane" Biographical Memoirs, Volume 58 pp. 489–512, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, ISBN 0-309-03938-X

Further reading

• Holden, Edward Singleton (1888). Hand-book of the Lick Observatory of the University of California.
• Lick Observatory Edition. June 23, 1888. https://archive.org/details/miningscien56unse. 

Other websites

• Lick Observatory
• Lick Observatory Records Digital Archive Archived 2014-07-02 at the Wayback Machine