74 -A CENTURY OF PROGRESS IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES 



is operated jointly with the Mount Wilson Observatory by the Carnegie Institu- 

 tion and the California Institute of Technology. The Hale telescope together 

 Avith its essential auxiliary, the 48-inch Schmidt telescope, will continue in the 

 lead of exploring the mysteries of the universe. 



Astronomy may be said to blend more with the main stream of general culture 

 than any other science. Many of our great astronomers were not professional 

 men but began as amateurs who took up the search into cosmic existence as a 

 hobby, and there are innumerable other laymen who are interested in the vari- 

 ous phases of astronom^^ California has not been remiss in satisfying this interest. 

 At Lick, Griffith, and some smaller observatories special nights are set aside 

 when the general public may get a glimpse of the heavenly bodies and their 

 motions. The most suitable invention to arouse the public's interest in astronomy, 

 the planetarium, is represented in California by the Griffith Planetarium in 

 Griffith Park, Los Angeles, and the Morrison Planetarium, a unit of the Cali- 

 fornia Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. California is thus the only state 

 in the Union which possesses two planetariums, one of which, although based on 

 the principle developed by the famous Zeiss Works, was entirely constructed, 

 assembled, and mounted in the shops of the California Academy of Sciences. 



The great variety of California topography as well as its historic background 

 made the State in its infancy a successful testing ground for geodetic work; 

 climatic and atmospheric conditions, the generosity of its citizens, and the 

 enthusiasm of its people have contributed significantly toward making California 

 the leading commonwealth in the science of astronomy. 



SOURCES 



The George Davidson papers, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. 



The reports and publications of the Government agencies and the institutions men- 

 tioned in the text. 



W. W. Campbell, "A Brief History of Astronomy in California" in The History of 

 California (1914). New York: The Century History Company. 



Helen Wright, Palomar (1952). New York: Macmillan Co. 



