LOOKING UP; MOUNT WILSON GETS TELESCOPIC UPGRADE.Byline: Lisa Weiss Daily News Staff Writer Perched atop a San Gabriel San Gabriel (săn gā`brēəl), city (1990 pop. 37,120), Los Angeles co., SW Calif.; inc. 1913. Fabric, furniture, paper products, tools, and aircraft parts are manufactured. mountain peak, the Mount Wilson Observatory Mount Wilson Observatory, astronomical observatory located in California on Mt. Wilson, near Pasadena. Mt. Wilson Observatory was founded in 1904 by George E. Hale. Its equipment includes 100-in. (2.5-m) and 60-in. (1. was on the cutting edge of astronomy for years until city lights and larger telescopes eased it from prominence. That is about to change. On Friday, construction started on an array of six telescopes at Mount Wilson that are expected to enable researchers to see stars in greater detail than ever. ``We'll be able to see an object the size of a footprint on the moon,'' said Robert Jastrow Dr. Robert Jastrow (b. 1925) is an American Astronomer, physicist and cosmologist. Biography
Secrets of stars are expected to be revealed. ``We are pushing the limits of seeing fine detail,'' said Hal McAlister, director of the $13 million Center for High Angular Resolution Angular resolution describes the resolving power of any image forming device such as an optical or radio telescope, a microscope, a camera, or an eye. Definition of terms Resolving power Astronomy, which is scheduled to be operational by 2000. ``So far, the only star on which we have been able to see in detail is the sun. We inferred that that's what was going on on other stars.'' Helicopters lowered seven-ton steel domes onto the bases for six new telescopes scattered around the historic Hooker Telescope, which was built in 1917. The six scopes will form a Y-shaped array linked by vacuum tubes This is a list of vacuum tubes: American designation (with European equivalents)
The installation was a feat in itself. ``It was a lot of fun; very dramatic,'' McAlister said. The process took about one hour. The center is funded by Georgia State University History Georgia State University was founded in 1913 as the Georgia School of Technology's "School of Commerce." The school focused on what was called "the new science of business. , the National Science Foundation, the W.M. Keck v. i. 1. To heave or to retch, as in an effort to vomit. [ imp. & p. p. os> r>; p. pr. & vb. n. os> n. 1. An effort to vomit; queasiness. Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation David and Lucile Packard Foundation, private philanthropic institution that funds nonprofit organizations. It was founded in 1964 by David Packard (1912–96), co-founder of Hewlett-Packard Co., and his wife Lucile (1914–87). . The first two telescopes will be installed in their enclosures by the end of February, and they will be linked together sometime this summer, McAlister said. ``Up until a few years ago, any star looked like a point of light. Now we will be able to see the star as a disc and calculate its mass, size and temperature more precisely,'' said CHARA research scientist Theo Ten Brummelaar. ``We will also be able to look for planets around other stars.'' A new technology called interferometry will give the array of telescopes its high resolution. The process sharpens images by adding or subtracting light waves. The atmospheric conditions on Mount Wilson continue to make it a favorable location for astronomy. The peak's elevation of 5,700 feet is about 1,000 feet above an inversion layer, which keeps the smog underneath it while allowing clear ocean air to rise above. The location's proximity to a big city also made it attractive. ``There is a lot of high-tech gear that we have access to,'' Ten Brummelaar said. Since the array will be used to look at objects in the Milky Way Milky Way, the galaxy of which the sun and solar system are a part, seen as a broad band of light arching across the night sky from horizon to horizon; if not blocked by the horizon, it would be seen as a circle around the entire sky. and other near galaxies, the light pollution from the city below will not affect it. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--2) Above, a helicopter carries a telescope dome into position Friday for a new observation center. At right, a helicopter reloads. Nick Ut/Associated Press |
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