Lick at Night

A familiar view, albeit in unfamiliar conditions—gazing down at the winding road that leads to the summit of Mt. Hamilton. The sun, still high in the sky, was veiled by the haze of smoke from distant fires.

This view has been out of reach since flames roared up these slopes, one year ago (to the day). The wooden posts that supported the guardrail were incinerated—the fire came that close to historic Lick Observatory. And that is why the top of the mountain has been off-limits to visitors.

But, hold on ... where am I?!

Beyond the locked gate, atop the mountain ... trusted not to slide off the road. I'm here for a special night-time tour (having unconventionally made the trip not by bicycle, but in a vehicle—accompanied by the friend who first brought me to the top of this mountain, many years ago).

Alas, our viewing of the stars was not to be; the telescopes would remain tucked safely within their domes, their delicate optics shielded from the airborne particles. Our host seemed confused when we couldn't even see the sun set—that's how dense the smoke was.

To compensate, our guide was cleared to expand our tour of the facilities. Despite so many visits to the top, I'd never noticed how many telescopes are housed (and used) up there. One of the more unusual snippets of trivia he shared in one building was that it was used during the filming of a movie starring Lauren Bacall, The Gift of Love.

Not only did we see the Shane 3-meter Reflector—we got a behind-the-scenes look at the vessel used to realuminize its mirror.

And, of course, the Great 36-inch Refractor you'll see on a regular public tour.

I'd heard from a friend that they no longer raise and lower the floor in the main building; during our tour of the basement, we saw why. One of the things that intrigued me about the equipment—especially the telescopes—was wondering about how they were made. These things are all one-of-a-kind.

Our visit included a history lesson on the Observatory, during which we learned that James Lick was quite an eccentric character. We paid our respects to Mr. Lick, at eternal rest in the basement of the main building, below the telescope.

It is our enduring good fortune that he was persuaded to establish this observatory, and that one year ago this very night it was successfully defended by a small army of firefighters.