200-Inch telescope being welded electrically

A BILLION light-years is the distance to which scientists and astronomers estimate that they will be able to explore the universe when the new 200-inch reflecting-type telescope, largest in the world, is completed on Mt. Palomar, Calif. This is twice the range of the next largest telescope in existence, the 100-inch instrument at Mt. Wilson, Calif. (A light-year is the distance traversed by light in a year and is approximately 6×10¹² miles.) Mt. Palomar, which is about 90 miles from Los Angeles, was selected because of its ideal weather conditions and its isolation. In addition to a new observatory to house the huge telescope, the project includes construction of a new 20-mile road, a new community for the operating staff, several smaller domes, power plant, radio station, million-gallon water reservoir, and an airplane landing field. Headquarters of the observatory will be on the campus of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, which institution will supervise its operation.