[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 173 (Monday, December 9, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF LICK OBSERVATORY

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                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 9, 2013

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 125th Anniversary 
of the Lick Observatory.
  On January 3, 1888 the Lick Observatory's great refracting telescope 
saw ``first light.'' Its construction on top of Mt. Hamilton was made 
possible by a $700,000 donation from James Lick. By many accounts the 
wealthiest man in California, Mr. Lick gave almost his entire fortune 
to advance science and public welfare. When finished, the ``Lick 
Refractor'' was the largest, most powerful refracting telescope in the 
world.
  Today, it is assumed that an observatory should be built on a 
mountain. However, at the time most observatories were built in cities. 
It is easy to forget that when Mt. Hamilton was chosen as the build 
site, it was only speculation that the high altitude would reduce 
atmospheric interference, allowing for a clearer view of the night 
stars.
  Having proven the theory correct, Lick Observatory set the standard 
for building observatories on top of mountains, at high altitude, and 
away from potential interfering light sources and pollution.
  The Lick Refractor was a premier research telescope for nearly a 
century. Even now, this telescope is still used to wow visitors, to 
inspire scientific wonder, and as a teaching tool for local colleges 
and universities. While many scientific facilities of this age are no 
longer useful as tools of discovery, the Lick Observatory continues to 
upgrade its capabilities and produce ground breaking science.
  The Adaptive Optics project uses a unique, deformable mirror to 
cancel out atmospheric interference. It is capable of achieving 
resolutions comparable to the space-based Hubble Telescope, but at a 
fraction of the cost.
  The Lick Observatory also houses the Automated Planet Finder, with 
the goal of finding Earth-like planets located within 100 light years. 
In partnership with NASA, this fully automated telescope makes its own 
decisions on where to look in the night sky and is capable of 
determining whether an Earth-like planet has been discovered.
  Even the 125 year old Lick Refractor is still occasionally put to 
use. In the fall of 2000, coupled with an automatic camera, it started 
photographing the star clusters in our galaxy. These photographs have 
provided valuable information for mapping these clusters' star members.
  I wish to congratulate the Lick Observatory on its 125th anniversary, 
and commend not only it scientific achievements, but also its work in 
inspiring others to pursue the wonders of science.

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