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Lick Observatory, 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.
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