Winter Stars above Mount Palomar

Winter constellations from Canis Minor and Gemini (left) to Orion (middle) and Taurus (top) as photographed above Palomar Observatory in the Southern California. The Observatory is located in north San Diego County, California (the light dome in the south is made by San Diego). Founded in 1930s, Palomar is still a world-class research center. The observatory is home to five telescopes including the 200-inch (5 meters) Hale telescope and its giant dome which is photographed here. The 200-inch telescope (completed in 1949) is named after astronomer George Ellery Hale who led the making of the world largest telescopes in the first half of 20th century. Hale telescope was the world’s largest for nearly 3 decades. © P.K. Chen