astronomical observatory located on Mt. Hamilton, Calif., near San Jose; the first mountaintop observatory in the world, it was founded through gifts made by James Lick in 1874-75 and came under the direction of the Univ. of California in 1888. The original telescope at the observatory is a 36-in. (91.4-cm) refracting telescope, second largest in the world after the 40-in. (101.6-cm) refractor at Yerkes. The principal research instrument is now a 120-in. (305-cm) reflecting telescope that went into operation in 1959. Other equipment includes 36-in. (91.4-cm) and 22-in. (55.9-cm) reflectors, a 12-in. (30.5-cm) refractor, and a 20-in. (50.8-cm) twin astrographic telescope.
