Site Preservation at Palomar Observatory

Abstract

Palomar Mountain was selected as the site of the 200-inch Hale Telescope in 1934. Since then, and especially over the past decade, the population growth of southern California has had a growing adverse impact on the observatory’s environment. In 1981, a very active program was initiated to work with the local governmental agencies to prevent further deterioration of the conditions as the area continues to become increasingly urbanized. The character and scope of the program are described in the paper, as well as more general observations relating to the site preservations process.