Month: March 2015

LH7351_Nickel-NIROSETI_Wright Dichroic © 2015 Laurie Hatch / image and text - LICK OBSERVATORY - Mt. Hamilton California - 2015 March 14 - At the Nickel 1 meter telescope, astronomer Shelley Wright discusses the dichroic filter with her colleague Jerome Maire (only his hand is visible). Her right hand is holding a fiber that emits infrared light for calibration of the detectors. The NIROSETI instrument (Near Infrared Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is designed to detect as-yet-undiscovered nanosecond laser pulses from beyond our solar system. This innovative device is the only one of its kind in the world, and the first capable of detecting such brief bursts at near infrared wavelengths. The Anna B. Nickel 40-inch Reflector is named for the San Francisco seamstress whose generous and unexpected bequest provided funding to design and build this telescope. Constructed in-house in the late 1970’s, the Nickel presently occupies the first dome to be completed on Mt. Hamilton, at the north end of the Main Building. The dome originally housed a 12” Alvan Clark Refractor which was placed in service in 1881. Careful dome modifications accommodate the Nickel’s larger aperture. What would Anna think if her telescope was the first to discover ET? - A VIEW FROM LICK OBSERVATORY - Lick Observatory crowns the 4,200-foot Mt. Hamilton summit above Silicon Valley in central California. This research station serves astronomers from University of California campuses and their collaborators worldwide. Eccentric Bay Area tycoon and philanthropist James Lick (1796-1876) bequeathed funding for construction which spanned from 1880 to 1887, fulfilling his vision of the Observatory as a premier astronomical facility. In 1959, the Shane 3-meter reflecting telescope was completed on Mt. Hamilton. It continues to provide data for forefront research and engineering programs. In total, the mountain top is home to ten telescopes which are supported by resident staf