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Moving Image / Mount Wilson Observatory Film Footage

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Title
Mount Wilson Observatory Film Footage
Creator
Carnegie Institution of Washington. Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories
Smith, Sinclair, 1899-
Hickox, Joe
Contributor
Adams, Walter S. (Walter Sydney), 1876-1956
Nicholson, Seth B. (Seth Barnes), 1891-1963
Hoge, Edison
Smith, Sinclair, 1899-
Sanford, Roscoe F. (Roscoe Frank), 1883-1958
Seares, Frederick Hanley, 1873-1964
Wilson, Olin, C., 1909-1994
Van Maanen, Adriaan, 1884-1946
Hubble, Edwin, 1889-1953
King, Arthur S. (Arthur Scott), 1876-1957
Ellerman, Ferdinand, 1869-1940
Hendrix, Donald L. (Donald Lee), 1954-
Hickox, Joe
Richardson, Robert S. (Robert Shirley), 1902-1981
Baade, Walter, 1893-1960
Humason, Milton L. (Milton La Salle), 1891-1972
Babcock, Harold D. (Harold Delos), 1882-1968
Dunham, Theodore Jr., 1897-1984
Pease, F. G. (Francis Gladheim), 1881-
Beebe, Ashel N., "Ace
Date Created and/or Issued
1930
Contributing Institution
Huntington Library
Collection
California Revealed from Huntington Library
Rights Information
Copyrighted. Rights for reel 1 to 5 are owned by the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. Rights for the Hearst Metrotone News newsreel footage, reel 6, are owned by UCLA Film & Television Archive. Copyright Holder has given Institution permission to provide access to the digitized work online. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Copyright Holder. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Description
Reel 1: The footage begins with general scenes of Mt. Wilson and the Observatory offices in Pasadena. 00:10 Views of the 150' solar tower from ground level with the dome opening. Walter S. Adams, Seth B. Nicholson, and Edison R. Hoge (L to R) going up 150' tower in the "bucket." View from moving bucket, looking up to top of 150' tower. View of 100" dome from moving bucket. 01:57 Nicholson aligning mirrors at top of 150' tower. Image of sun at 150' tower focus, moving across field. Solar image positioned on white paper at 150' tower focus in order to record sunspot positions. Nicholson at 150' tower focus preparing equipment. 03:58 Sunspots 04:06 Sinclair Smith at table in Library at 813 Santa Barbara Street office building (SBS); Roscoe F. Sanford enters from right and sits down next to Smith. 04:29 Walter S. Adams examining spectra in office at SBS. 05:10 Frederick H. Seares in office at SBS. 05:31 Olin C. Wilson at the Dunham microphotometer. 05:49 Adriaan van Maanen at stereocomparator at SBS. 06:12 Edwin P. Hubble measuring plates at SBS. 06:26 Arthur S. King in Physical Laboratory at SBS. 07:13 Ferdinand Ellerman in darkroom at 60' tower [or SBS ?]. 07:38 John S. Dalton in optical shop at SBS. 08:00 Donald O. Hendrix in optical shop at SBS. 08:49 Hendrix standing beside 100" polishing tool at SBS optical shop. 09:11 Oscar Swanson in machine shop at SBS. 09:33 M. C. Hurlbut in machine shop at SBS [Fred Scherff in background?] Reel 2: The following scenes were taken at the Mt. Wilson Observatory Solar Eclipse Expedition to Honey Lake in northern California. Construction on the camp was begun on April 19, 1930, and the eclipse occurred on April 28. This expedition was a rehearsal for the more promising solar eclipse in 1932. 00:18 Credit Board reading: Seth B. Nicholson / Supported by T. Dunham, Jr. / "The Sun's / Eclipse" / At the Camera / Joe Hickox / Directed by / Sinclair Smith. 00:34 Panorama of Honey Lake camp. 02:11-06:24 General views of camp construction and setting up of apparatus. Reel 3: The following scenes continue the general footage taken at Mt. Wilson. 00:15 View of 100" dome from atop the 150' tower. Camera pans L to R to 60" dome to Snow Telescope to 60' tower and then to San Gabriel Valley. 01:00 Distant view of base of 150' tower. Camera pans up to top of tower as its dome opens, then close-up of dome. 01:53 Seth B. Nicholson (L) and Robert S. Richardson going up to top of 150' tower in bucket. 02:26 Nicholson adjusting mirrors at top of 150' tower. 02:47 Nicholson at focus of 150' tower 04:20 6" telescope dome rotating open to reveal telescope inside. 04:38 Joe Hickox at 6" telescope. 04:59 External view of 6" dome. 05:03 View of Snow telescope from atop 150' tower. Camera pans up to look inside open dome of 60' tower with Richardson working inside. 05:17 Richardson working at focus of 60' tower. 07:43 Richardson examining solar plates. 07:58 View of rotating 60' tower dome from atop 150' tower. Camera pans down to Snow Telescope, then left to 60" dome, then up to mountains, then left to 100" dome with visitors lined up on footbridge at base of dome. 08:42 Close-up of visitors on footbridge. 09:03 Visitors crowding to get inside 100" dome (shot from dome catwalk above them). Camera then pans up to footbridge and 60" dome. 09:30 Ground level view of visitors walking across footbridge heading towards 100" dome. 10:01 Ground level view of visitors entering 100" dome. 10:04 Monastery, with Mr. and Mrs. Wright emerging from door. Then six astronomers seen emerging from courtyard of Monastery heading towards camera (Robert S. Richardson is the one without a jacket on. Person on left, Walter Baade, is holding a cat and then puts the cat on Milton L. Humason's back. Seth B. Nicholson quickly walks to the front of the group. Milton L. Humason is near the left side, with hat in hand. Other two individuals are unidentified, perhaps visiting astronomers. At end of sequence, Walter Baade passes quickly from L to R right in front of camera.). Reel 4: The following scenes continue the footage from the Honey Lake Expedition. 00:15 Eclipse party [A. N. Beebe; Edison Pettit; Sinclair Smith; Harold D. Babcock; Joe Hickox; H. S. Fehr] returns to cars in small town of Doyle, California. 00:45 Camera panning L to R across camp in distance. 01:18 L to R panorama of countryside and camp. 02:42 Close-up panorama of camp. 04:12 General views of activity in camp. 04:42 View of 5' spectrograph (Sinclair Smith at right). 05:00 Theodore Dunham, Jr. at left, with Smith walking in and out of field. 05:29 Dunham (L), then camera pans R to Smith (without hat). 05:57 Dunham at 5' spectrograph and Smith (R). 06:35 Smith at the 5' spectrograph. 07:30 Edison Pettit with headphones on checking clocks. 07:50 Pettit (center) and Seth B. Nicholson (R) [at 40" focal length camera?]. 08:50 Pettit checking pendulum shutter, Nicholson (without hat) in background. 09:15 General views of activity in camp. 11:20 View of coelostat (perhaps for 30" focal length motion picture camera). 11:26 View of Edison R. Hoge working on 30" camera. 12:36 View of solar eclipse through clouds [probably taken with 30" camera]. Reel 5: The following scenes were taken at Mt. Wilson, mostly as footage for Hearst newsreel-includes sound. 00:12 Newtonian focus platform with 100" telescope approaching. Milton L. Humason can be seen on the platform to far right. 00:17 Humason at Newtonian focus of 100" telescope. 01:04 Francis G. Pease at Cassegrain focus of 100" telescope. 01:53 Control panel of 100" telescope. Ashel N. "Ace" Beebe at controls. 02:55 100" dome slit opening behind telescope. 03:23 100" dome rotating. 03:42 100" telescope moving to Newtonian platform. 03:50 100" clock. 03:57 Stills of moon, Veil Nebula in Cygnus, and Great Nebula in Orion. 04:32 Solar image at 150' focus. 05:10 Edison R. Hoge getting in 150' tower bucket, followed by Seth B. Nicholson and Walter S. Adams who then get right back out as they had forgotten to close the power switch. 05:34 Stills of sun, sunspot. 05:57 Solar image moving across field. 06:16 150' tower, looking up from base. 06:26 Base of 150' tower. 06:32 View looking down center of 150' tower at bucket coming up towards camera. 06:43 Seth B. Nicholson at 150' tower focus. 06:55 Inside 150' tower dome as it opens. Various views of mirrors in dome. 08:16 Nicholson at 150' tower focus. 08:37 Solar image at 150' tower focus, spot positions being recorded. 09:23 Still of sunspot. 09"26 Solar image at 150' tower focus. Reel 6: Hearst Metrotone News newsreel: "Behind the Scenes With Star Hunters -- How the men of science seek and find new worlds at famous Mt. Wilson." 00:27 Aerial view of Mt. Wilson Observatory 00:53 View down 100" telescope tube as mirror covers close and open. 01:00 100" telescope with Francis G. Pease at Cassegrain focus. 01:10 View of moon 01:26 Dr. Pease gives directions to move telescope 01:41 Milton L. Humason at Newtonian focus of 100" telescope. 01:48 View of stars 01:57 End Metrotone newsreel. The following appears to be uncut footage shot during the making of the Metrotone newsreel; includes repeat content with live sound. 01:59 Cars coming up mountain road. 02:30 External view of 100" dome as slit opens and dome rotates. 04:33 Internal view of 100" dome slit opening and dome rotating. 05:07 100" telescope in motion. 05:47 View down 100" telescope tube as mirror covers close and open. 06:00 100" telescope nearing Newtonian platform. 06:30 Milton L. Humason at Newtonian focus of 100" telescope. 07:00 Humason states "I'll give it a half hour exposure" 07:20 100" clock. 07:22 100" dome wheels as dome rotates. 07:42 Relay switch bank at 100" telescope. 07:57 Cages being changed on 100" telescope. 08:30 External view of opened 100" dome rotating. 08:39 100" telescope with Francis G. Pease at Cassegrain focus. 10:30 Paul W. Merrill at 100" spectrograph at Cassegrain focus. 11:21 Joseph O. Hickox at 60" telescope as visitors peer into telescope eyepiece. 11:28 End of film footage.
Notes written on original container for r01: "Mt. Wilson; Comp. Dupe; R-1" Notes written on film leader for r01: " acetate (f.g.m. b and white); Original - Do Not Project" Notes written on original container for r02: "Mt. Wilson; Dupe Neg.; R-2" Notes written on film leader for r02: None Notes written on original container for r03: "Mt. Wilson; Dupe Neg.; R-3" Notes written on film leader for r03: "Original - Do Not Project" Notes written on original container for r04: "Mt. Wilson; Dupe Neg.; R-4" Notes written on film leader for r04: "Original - Do Not Project" Notes written on original container for r05: "Mt. Wilson; Comp. Dupe; R-5" Notes written on film leader for r05: "Original - Do Not Project"
Type
moving image
Format
Negative
Copy
Sound
Black and White
35mm film
Form/Genre
Nonfiction films
Extent
6 Reels of 6
00:51:29
Identifier
mssMountWilsonDirector_1930
csmha_000306_r01; csmha_000306_r02; csmha_000306_r03; csmha_000306_r04; csmha_000306_r05; csmha_000306_r06
Language
English
Subject
Observatories
Eclipses
Solar eclipses
Astronomy
Science
Mount Wilson Observatory
Time Period
1930
Place
Pasadena (Calif.)
Honey Lake (Calif.)
Provenance
The Huntington Library
California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

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