Walter Adams was an early and long-time member of the staff of Mt. Wilson Observatory and a close associate of George Ellery Hale, the Observatory's founder. Upon Hale's retirement, Adams became the Observatory's Director, a post he held from 1923 to 1946. In 1947, Adams published a two-part article in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific entitled "Early Days at Mount Wilson." This article may be of interest. To down-load the files in PDF format, click on:

Early Days at Mount Wilson, Part 1

Early Days at Mount Wilson, Part 2

Please note that Adams' memory was not perfect. In his recounting of first light on the 100-inch telescope, the night was actually November 2-3, 1917. In addition, he must have gotten the objects reversed. In the early evening they probably viewed Vega, and in the early morning they probably viewed Jupiter. Because Vega would have set around midnight in November, they could not have viewed it in the early morning, but Jupiter was well-placed by then.

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