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Timeline

Carnegie Astrograph Completed
Carnegie Astrograph Completed

Lick Observatory, CA

The Carnegie Double Astrograph at Lick Observatory was completed, and a huge survey of the Northern Hemisphere sky was undertaken.

Discovered Existence Of Interstellar Dust Grains
Discovered Existence Of Interstellar Dust Grains

Lick Observatory, CA

In the 1930’s Robert Trumpler discovered the existence of dust grains in interstellar space between the stars, which we later know is the stuff from which rocky planets form.

Verified Einstein’s Theory
Verified Einstein’s Theory

Lick Observatory, CA

The Lick eclipse expedition to Australia in 1922 was the first scientific measurement to convincingly verify Einstein’s theory of General Relativity.

Perfected Deep-Space Photography
Perfected Deep-Space Photography

Early 1900’s Lick Observatory, CA

Astronomical photography was perfected on Lick’s Crossley telescope, which, starting in the early 1900s, was the first to reveal the innumerable galaxies in the cosmos far beyond our Milky Way.

Crossley 36-Inch Completed
Crossley 36-Inch Completed

Lick Observatory, CA

The Crossley 36-inch reflecting telescope was completed. Amateur astronomer Andrew A. Common built the Crossley Reflector in Great Britain in 1879, and the Crossley was one of the first large reflectors ever built.

Built World’s Largest Telescope
Built World’s Largest Telescope

Lick Observatory, CA

The Great Refractor was the world’s largest telescope when it was completed in 1888. It predated electricity, and its 14-ton rising floor was a miracle of ingenuity that relied only on water and wind-power.