Blauert on Outdoors: Lick Observatory offers unique views

You can see the white domes of the Lick Observatory from the San Jose area. They stand atop Mount Hamilton, 4,200 feet above the Santa Clara Valley.

Two summers ago, I came home from San Jose via the Mount Hamilton, San Antonio Valley and Del Puerto Canyon roads. These backroads wind over a steep section of the Diablo Range, connecting San Jose to the observatory and ultimately to Patterson. I’d passed the observatory on this route several times before, but this time I finally stopped.

It’s a memorable building. When it opened in 1888, the 36-inch “Great Refractor” telescope was the largest in the world. The dome that was built to house it is equally impressive, with intricate wood paneling and brass hardware. It’s a jewel from another time period – built with the care and attention to detail that were a part of important buildings in the Victorian era. When I visited, the original 125-year-old hydraulic system still lifted the floor beneath the telescope to keep viewers at eye height on the telescope as the operator lowered it closer to the horizon. I was so impressed I came home with the resolution to visit on one of the public viewing nights offered each summer.

The observatory is part of the UC system’s multicampus astronomical research division, headquartered at UC Santa Cruz but used by researchers at other campuses as well. UCSC hosts the annual public nighttime events, assisted by a large group of friendly volunteers.

Leaving Turlock about 5:30 p.m., to Patterson and then over the Diablo Range on the Del Puerto Canyon and San Antonio Valley roads, our drive time was about 2 hours and 15 minutes. We had plenty of time to walk around the grounds and the main building and check out the telescopes, gift shop and beautiful sunset over San Jose and the Santa Cruz Mountains before the program began. Many people brought picnic dinners to enjoy on top of the mountain.

UCSC and the observatory offer about a dozen public programs each summer, including a five-night “Music of the Spheres” concert series, which combines live music, star viewing and an astronomy lecture. On the night of our visit, Highland Way performed rousing Scottish and Irish tunes.

A disappointing announcement was made after the concert – atmospheric conditions changed and the telescopes couldn’t be opened because of particulate matter in the air from wildfires in Northern California.

There were other interesting things to do, so we started making the rounds. The lecture hall was full by the time we got to the door. While we waited, we got to see the 40-inch Nickel Telescope.

Waiting actually worked out well for two reasons: 1. The audience for the second lecture was much smaller and could ask a lot of questions. Dr. J. Xavier Prochaska’s presentation about the development and basic ideas of modern cosmology was interesting and easy to understand. I came away from the evening with considerable new knowledge.

The second reason this worked out well was the second announcement of the night: The atmospheric conditions changed and the Nickel Telescope would be opened. We ended up being among the few to gaze through it because many who attended the first lecture left.

Outside the building, there were several amateur astronomers with telescopes. They showed us unique features of the night sky, such as double stars. We had such a good time we didn’t leave until about 12:30 a.m.

The midnight view of San Jose from the mountain is also memorable. You can see the city glowing below you.

A long, dark drive back over the mountains got us home a bit after 3 a.m. It was exhausting, but worth it.

A nighttime visit to the observatory is a lot of fun, and there’s plenty for daytime visitors to do as well. To visit at night, you have to be part of an organized program. For more information, go to http://www.ucolick.org/main/visit/summer.html. The observatory is usually closed at night because astronomers need as much darkness as possible to carry out their work.

The public is welcome to visit from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday year round and on many holidays. See the website for full details and more visitor information: http://www.ucolick.org/main/visit/info.html.

Free tours are given every half hour. Visitors can also see the Shane Reflector from a visitor gallery at the entrance of the Shane Dome and enjoy daytime views of the Diablo Range, the Santa Clara Valley, the southern end of San Francisco Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains. A daytime visit is a good way to visit the observatory for the first time.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 8:09 PM with the headline "Blauert on Outdoors: Lick Observatory offers unique views."