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:

Sep 24, 2025Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming
May 12, 2023Wild lupines
Mar 29, 2018It’s Opening Day for Major League Baseball
Dec 13, 2022Hallstatt, Austria
Oct 16, 2021Unearthing a queen s lost tale
Apr 7, 2023International Beaver Day
Jun 24, 2025Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah
Mar 26, 2018The Unfinished Obelisk near Aswan, Egypt
Apr 11, 2023Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
Mar 12, 2018It’s Napping Day
Aug 23, 2022Menton, France
May 15, 2022Lunar eclipse
Oct 19, 2018Portland celebrates its bounty
Jun 14, 2021A Flag Day tradition
Nov 5, 2019Balloons and camels are two ways to catch a ride here
Jun 29, 2022International Day of the Tropics
Oct 29, 2019And the skies filled with bats…
Feb 27, 2021A snuggling ball of cute
May 30, 2021Who s hiding in the kelp?
Feb 20, 2019An unlikely friendship in the wild
Aug 5, 2019A ‘Superior’ paddle
May 23, 2025World Turtle Day
Mar 8, 2023International Womens Day
Jul 30, 2022Milford Sound/Piopiotahi rainforest in New Zealand
Jan 28, 2024Channel Country, Australia
Mar 21, 2026International Day of Forests
May 5, 2024Happy Cinco de Mayo!
May 21, 2019Salmon return to the Copper River
Jan 26, 2023Heavens Gate Cave, Tianmen Mountain National Park, China
Sep 9, 2022Belize Barrier Reef