Building Palomar's giant telescope, a history of the Palomar Observatory

ESCONDIDO – The San Diego Archaeological Center is pleased to present Second-Saturday speaker Scott Kardel, public affairs coordinator for Caltech’s Palomar Observatory, on Saturday, March 13 from 11 a.m. to noon.

Since 2003, Kardel has directed the observatory’s public outreach program. He has been a featured speaker across the United States giving talks on general astronomy, light pollution, and the history of Palomar Observatory. He holds a Masters degree in astronomy from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor’s degree in physical science/secondary education from Northern Arizona University.

For more than 60 years the 200-inch Hale Telescope on Palomar Mountain has been used to probe the secrets of the universe. For 45 of those years it stood as the largest effective telescope in the world. It is still used nightly to explore the universe.

The construction of the great telescope was an epic story that spanned both the Great Depression and World War II. At several stages during construction the project captured national and world headlines making the Palomar telescope famous well before it was finished.

This lecture is free for Center members; non-members pay museum admission. For more information on this lecture, contact Annemarie Cox at [email protected] or (760) 291-0370.

The San Diego Archaeological Center is located at 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027