Lick Observatory Jan 3, 2022

Lick Observatory

Shrouded in snow on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, lies the world"s first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory. Constructed between 1876 and 1887, the Lick Observatory has been the site of significant discoveries, including several of Jupiter"s moons and other planetary systems. It"s named for American real-estate entrepreneur James Lick, who set aside $700,000 for the University of California to build a facility that would be home to a "telescope superior to and more powerful than any telescope yet made."

© Jeffrey Lewis/Tandem Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

Jan 3, 2019How do ladybugs winter?
Jan 3, 2020 Field of Light at Sensorio by Bruce Munro
Jan 3, 2021An Alpine fairy-tale castle
Jan 3, 2023Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
Jan 3, 2024J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Jan 3, 2025Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!
Jan 3, 2026J.R.R. Tolkien Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 1, 2021Native American Heritage Month
Apr 24, 2024White trilliums blooming in Ontario, Canada
Nov 13, 2020Once upon a midafternoon dreary…
Sep 22, 2025Autumn equinox
Mar 8, 2018Celebrate International Women’s Day
Nov 21, 2024Lion cubs, South Africa
Nov 25, 2023Toledo, Spain
Jan 11, 2022Porcupine
Jan 10, 2024Take the Stairs Day
Sep 20, 2023Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
Apr 6, 2019Make way for robots
Dec 13, 2021Old Town Quito
Dec 12, 2025National Poinsettia Day
Oct 4, 2021Hey neighbor, it s World Space Week!
May 24, 2021A bridge comes full circle
Nov 23, 2023Happy Thanksgiving!
Sep 15, 2021It s National Hispanic Heritage Month
Mar 28, 2020The meeting point of the winds
Nov 14, 2022Castle ruins on the island of Halki, Greece
Jun 23, 2019Adorable activism
Dec 30, 2021Westerheversand Lighthouse
Jan 29, 2024Golling Waterfall, Salzburg, Austria
Mar 22, 2022World Water Day
Feb 25, 2023Bryce Canyon National Park turns 100
Dec 17, 2022Mountain goats at Glacier National Park in Montana
Nov 7, 2025Polar Bear Week
Feb 17, 2025Presidents Day
Mar 28, 2025Black-naped monarch
Oct 2, 2019Wild scene on the Merced River
Nov 1, 2023Native American Heritage Month