Quiz: What Do You Know About Mount Wilson's Telescopes?

Quiz: What Do You Know About Mount Wilson's Telescopes?

These devices helped advance both astronomy and humanity’s perception of the universe.
In the early 20th century, Mount Wilson Observatory in Pasadena, Calif., was the center of astronomy and the astronomical sciences thanks to the industrial scale investment in the facility. Discoveries in these fields accelerated much faster than it ever had before or in the 100 years since because of the advances made with the Mount Wilson telescopes.

The final of those five, the 100-inch telescope, was designated as an ASME historic mechanical engineering landmark in 1981. The 100-inch telescope made “many notable advances in structural cosmology” that “revised our ideas about the universe in which we live,” and its “outstanding engineering features” included the use of mercury flotation in the telescope’s mount to reduce friction, as noted on the Society’s landmark plaque.

Try this quiz to see what you know about the telescopes at Mount Wilson. Afterward, be sure to learn more about how “Mount Wilson’s Telescopes Expanded Understanding of the Universe.”


 

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