Mount Wilson Observatory

Mount Wilson Observatory is available for public tours from 10am to 4pm daily during April 1st to November 30th. Daily access can change when there is a special access notice providing slightly different hours. The observatory is in La Canada, close to Angeles Crest Highway.

Mount Wilson Observatory is first and foremost a research facility in the San Gabriel Mountains of California. It is near to Pasadena and Los Angeles. The observatory sits at 5715 feet about sea level, allowing visitors to see through the Hooker 100 inch telescope to the world beyond- space. On site is Cosmic Café, which offers sandwiches and other treats on weekends only. It is across the parking lot in the pavilion. It is possible to book special tours of the observatory for groups during the off season, though snowfall can make it closed completely in winter months.

Mount Wilson was established by George Ellery Hale in 1904. The observatory is considered a dominate place in astronomy throughout the world because it became home to the two largest telescopes that were in existence at the time. Such discoveries like the relocating of the sun from the center of the Milky Way galaxy occurred at the observatory.