Customer Reviews

The Perfect Machine: Building the Palomar Telescope

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A tale of modern engineering. The design and construction of the 200 inch Palomar observatory was possibly the first "big science" project of the modern era. Florence also provides much biographical information on George E. Hale, a necessity since the building of this telescope and the life of Hale were so intertwined as to be inseparable. Put simply, even if you have no background in astronomy or telescope-making, this book presents a story of a huge engineering undertaken. Nothing of the scale had ever been considered before and the designers and builders had to confront countless unique problems and invent new techniques along the way. This book is a classic in the history of modern astronomy, but enjoyable for anyone who loves reading about massive construction projects.

If you ever wanted to know how large telescopes are built, then this is the book for you. Perfect Machine captures the time, climate, and excitement of one of the most complex science and engineering projects ever. Starting with the 100 inch Mount Wilson telescope, this book traces the history of Hale and his ever more ambitious telescope projects. Great projects require great visionaries and Hale was certainly the one who could pull this off. Filled with details and insights, this is one of the best science history books that I have read. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in telescopes, astronomy, or engineering. After reading this book I went 200 miles out of my way on a vacation to see the Telescope in person. It was well worth it!

Not only does Ronald Florence give a vibrant account of the design and construction of the Hale telescope, he manages to make the reader share his fascination for an admirable project and an awe-inspiring science machine. The book is better than well written, it is captivating. Having been closely involved in a major telescope project, I can only state that his account of the production of the "giant eye" rings true. Rarely has a science writer shown so much understanding of the intricate processes, technologies, and human relations underlying a large science project. Still, there are a few disturbing inaccuracies in Florence's story. On a number of occasions, the author wrongly gives credit to the Palomar telescope designers for innovations that had been experimented long before, such as the principle of the support of the primary mirror, actually due to Lassel (Malta, 1861). The account of the in-situ finishing of the primary mirror sounds completely implausible, the metrology of the time (I saw the Hartmann screen on the occasion of a privileged visit in 1995) being of too low resolution to allow any meaningful verification of local refiguring as reported by Florence. The post-1950 period would also have deserved a somewhat broader and fairer account; the Russian 6-m may not have been a success comparable to the Palomar but paved the way for modern mechanical designs, and the advent of entirely new and far-reaching concepts, such as active optics, in the hands of European designers and suppliers is completely ignored. Still, the vision and the endeavour underlying the making of the Palomar telescope emanate from every page; it is a nearly perfect book about a nearly perfect machine.

I purchased this book at the telescope gift shop on Mount Palomar back in 1996. I read it in the next few days. It is the fascinating tale of George Hale, a remarkable man who had to battle personal demons (in the form of debilitating mental breakdowns) to build the world's largest telescope--then do it again and again! I can't remember the first one offhand, but the 100-inch Hooker Telescope on Mt. Wilson was next, then the 200-inch Hale telescope on Mt. Palomar. This book talks about all the technical, financal and other difficulties that were overcome to make the giant telescope possible. It explains large earlier telescopes and how the problems encountered in their construction provided lessons for the designers and builders of the Palomar telescope. Anyone interested in the history of technology or astronomy should give this book a look.

Florence's narrative brings alive the fascinating saga of the great Mt. Palomar reflector, in its time the world's largest telescope and a pioneering example of "Big Science." The instrument's gestation period, beginning in 1928 and interrupted by the second World War, was so long that three of the principal figures didn't live to see it dedicated in 1948. Included in this group was the project's founding father, George Ellery Hale, for whom the telescope is named. The author uses Hale's remarkable abilities and seemingly unending physical and mental travails as a unifying theme throughout the book.

A renowned telescope developer and respected solar astronomer, Hale had the establishment clout and scientific connections to launch such a grand project and assemble a team to carry it out. While suffering from a chronic nervous condition that often left him isolated in a darkened room, he was nevertheless able to lead the program through its most critical periods and help rescue it from a multitude of financial and organizational crises.

The immense 200-inch (nearly 17 ft) diameter of the Palomar telescope's main mirror gave it twice the theoretical resolution and four times the light grasp of its Hale-inspired predecessor, the 100-inch reflector on Mt. Wilson. Everything about the 500-ton machine was Brobdingnagian, perhaps best symbolized by the fact that an observer at the prime focus actually sat inside the telescope tube, with plenty of clearance for starlight to stream past him to the mirror some fifty-five feet below.

In the hands of Florence, what might have been a confusing welter of facts becomes a coherent and utterly engrossing suspense story. He seemingly overlooks nothing about the relevant issues of Astronomy, optics, engineering, business, politics and personalities; yet there is no sense of overkill and one always feels eager to begin the next chapter. The dozens of interacting characters are portrayed with enough subtlety, irony and humor to make them seem real and familiar. I have seldom gotten so much pure enjoyment from a book.

This book is excellent in every respect. The summary of work shows the determination and patience of all involved in the project. It also illustrates the complexity of large science projects, and develops in the reader a feeling for the magnitude of this accomplishment.

Those fortunate enough to have visited or worked at Palomar Observatory are well aware of the grandeur of this structure and enterprise. When I first visited, I was struck by the temple-like beauty of this structure, a stunning white hemispheric dome atop a columnar and monolithic base, framed by the stunning clear blue sky atop Palomar Mountain. This is one of those places that lowers voices and stops speech altogether. It is also one of those rare places of great scientific achievement accessible to the public. I sat inside and looked at the telescope (with liquid nitrogen cooled CCD cameras and spectroscopes at the various focal points), the incredible horseshoe mount and the stunning dome for 2 h, transfixed by all that I saw. I wanted to know more, but did not know where to look. This book, The Perfect Machine, is the definitive resource on the greatest publicly accessible visible light telescope observatory in the world, Mount Palomar Observatory. The context in which the observatory was conceived by the brilliant and underappreciated genius George Ellery Hale, the manner in which funding was obtained and maintained, the many innovators that gave their best and what this entailed..., the fascinating and, of course, occasionally quirky/antagonistic scientific and administrative personalities involved..., all are described in illuminating and engaging detail by Ronald Florence. This is one of the best descriptions of scientific and technical innovation "on the ground" ever written.

This project was conceived in general terms nearly 40 years before "first light" the time at which the first images of objects in the night sky are obtained. That it reached completion is a testament to all of those involved as well as to the momentum to accomplish provided by ongoing financial support. The Hubble telescope had a similar gestation, as superbly described in Robert Zimmerman's more recent book, The Universe In a Mirror.

Reading The Perfect Machine with the web to amplify the text further enriches the experience. For example, it is possible to obtain good copies of the amazing Russell Porter drawings from a Cal Tech archive.

The book reads exceptionally well. The author has a gift for conveying often daunting details in a manner that "meets the reader", yet provides enough detailed information to keep the more technically sophisticated engaged. This is a rare accomplishment in my reading experience.

Read the book. Then, if you get the chance, go visit Palomar again or for the first time with the ability to appreciate what you are seeing and what specific people did to make such a great structure/enterprise happen.

Now if Mr. Florence could be talked into writing a biography of Mr. Hale..., that would be something.

I've been fascinated with the 200" Hale telescope on Mt Palomar since I read "The Glass Giant of Palomar" as kid. "The Perfect Machine" meets the highest standard you can apply to a non-fiction book--it reads like a novel. Not only does it correct the many errors and omissions of "The Glass Giant of Palomar," but it weaves interleaving stories in a fscinating and riveting way. There's the story of the glass blank of Pyrex and the difficulties casting it, the extraordinary vision of George Ellery Hale, and even the Surrier Truss design first used on this telescope tube. Then there is the site selection, constuction problems, and most of all a vivid portrait of the personalities involved in the construction of this giant. It is even more mind-boggling to realize that all this happened in the first few decades of the 20th century!

After reading this book I finally made my pilgrammage to Mt. Palomar to view the monster for myself. Knowing the details of the telescope's construction added even more to the sense of awe I felt standing in the visitor's gallery gazing in disbelief at this huge, huge machine, and knowing all the discoveries made with it over the years. It was an incredible experience. No photograph of the Hale telescope does it justice.

This is an extraordinary book.

I had hoped for a better discussion of the engineering behind the telescope. It's clear that the building of this telescope was a tedious process and so was the reading of this book. This book provides excruciating detail to the historical events behind the telescope, but not nearly enough about the engineering hurdles and the creative solutions developed to overcome them. I also would have loved a nice, detailed drawing of the entire telescope showing some of the parts he's talking about and how they're assembled.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is well and professionally written (I only spotted a single error in grammar). Most of all, I found it quite interesting.