Observation…

Lick Observatory sits on the peak of Mt. Hamilton just East of San Jose, CA. It used to be one of the best spots to view the Heavens with its massive telescopes. However in the past 100 years, San Jose has grown from a sleepy agriculture town to the largest city in the Bay Area. The population explosion has caused some pollution problems. The usual pollution from cars, noise and waste are expected. The pollution that is the biggest concern for the Lick Observatory is Light Pollution. Light pollution makes it very difficult to peer deep into the heavens from Mt. Hamilton.

This wasn’t supposed to be a political lesson, nor do I want it to be. So I will get to the topic I was originally going tot write about. At the Lick Observatory they have two working web cams. On clear mornings these cameras provide spectacular images of the sunrise. The cameras are in a fixed position. Hamcam #2 looks East by Northeast. In the view you can see the six domes that are located on the 4200’summit. West facing Hamcam #1 has a panoramic view of San Jose and the valley it sits in.

On October 24, 2007 at 10:12 AM, I observered a giant monster attacking the City of San Jose. The monster turned out to be a small spider on the protective cover of the camera.