Oops, I almost missed this: a PBS show called "Journey to Palomar" will be on tonight (check local listings). The blurb sounds pretty good for astronomy nuts (aka BABloggees):
The story of American astronomer George Ellery Hale (1868–1938) and his efforts to build the world’s four largest telescopes — which set the stage for astronomy and space exploration throughout the 20th century, revealing the greatest discoveries since Galileo and Copernicus. Hale’s lifelong struggle to build these great instruments culminated with the million-pound telescope on Palomar Mountain.
I think I may have already missed it; it’s not playing in my local area. But you may be more fortunate. Check it out, and if you see it leave a comment!
November 11th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
It’s on tonight here…have the DVR set to record it.
November 11th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I caught the tail end of it last night. I almost forgot about it. I didn’t even have the television on when I realized it had started.
JBS
November 11th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
According to the Buffalo pbs website WNED is showing it this Sunday (16th) at 12:00 noon. I’ll miss it as I’ll be playing Dungeons and Dragons. Which one is more geeky….hmmm
Pete
November 11th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Saw it last night. I was as impressed with the process of manufacturing the lense as with the pictures it took.
November 11th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Saw it last night on KSPS in Spokane.
DO not miss it.
The footage of the building of MT Wilson amd Mt Palomar observatories is incredible as are the scenes of pouring the glass for the lenses and mirrors.
You really have to admire the work those late 19th century astronomers performed. And for all those telescopes to still be functioning is a tribute to them.
November 11th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Hale has a fascinating record of achievement considering his almost constant struggles with mental illness. They called it nervous exhaustion in his time. This is an interesting program,worth watching. It’s a shame that all of his accomplishments had to be preceded by endless fundraising from the millionaire philanthropists of the day. It took up so much of his energy and extremely valuable time.
November 11th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I live in the shadow of Palomar Mo9untain…every time I visit the place it takes my breath away. Magnificent.
November 11th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
It’s not being shown until the 23rd here.
But even better news is the DVD of the film will be released November 18th!
November 11th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Damn it’s not showing anywhere here in Atlanta. It’s a reach, but anyone have a local station showing it that simulcasts on the net?
November 11th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
It was on last night here in Maine. Terrific. Down right heroic.
November 11th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
It’s not going to be on any station in the Bay Area until the middle of next month
At least it WILL be on.
- Jack
November 11th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
If that interested you, you should hunt down a book called ‘The Perfect Machine’ which is a history of the building of Palomar. Good stuff.
November 11th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
It’s pretty good, but focuses a bit too much on Hale, leaving out quite an interesting cast of characters.
November 11th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Yup, it was Monday night at 10PM here in Virginia.
A good show, worth the DVD. Unfortunately NOT shot in HD.
Often your local PBS station will re-broadcast a show like Nova on a Saturday morning or a Thursday afternoon or something. Look closely at your local listings to see if it’s trying to sneak past you!
Rich
November 11th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
You missed it! It played last night, 9PM, KRMA Channel 6, Denver. It was great. I am sure it will be on again. Set your DVR.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Thanks for the heads up PJE. Watched the show on Homo Floresiensis (Hobbit) tonight on WNED. Hadn’t seen it and it was great. Wish there was so much more programming like this on TV, but I guess we have to let market forces determine the direction and level of education in North America. It’s only right to bite the bullet and accept that some day, maybe hundreds or thousands of years from now, we might think differently.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Oh, yeah, one thing I noticed was that there was absolutely -NO- promotion of the show whatsoever! Lots of promos for Antiques Roadshow, This Old House, Nature, you name it, but nothing for Palomar! I wonder if the producers have to pay extra for the promos…
Rich
November 12th, 2008 at 6:16 am
It is a great show, but I admit that I am biased – I work at Palomar. Each PBS station gets to decide when they show the program. Many of them did on Monday night. If Phil sends me an email with his address I’ll get him a DVD of the show.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Now that I got the HD channels, I have 2 extra PBS channels to surf. I’ll have to see if they are rebroadcasting this. This is what I get for taking some time off and just enjoying Veteran’s day.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I saw Journey to Palomar and it was quite good.
Keep an eye out for a film on PBS’s Independent Lens series: The Atom Smashers. It should air about two weeks from now– on WTTW in Chicago, onTuesday, 25 November, but check your local station.
It’s a look at physicists at Fermilab as they pursue the Higgs and other scientific goals in the final years of the Tevatron’s operation, with CERN breathing down their necks. I saw part of the film and was very impressed. The filmmakers spent months shooting at Fermilab (I gave them their radiation safety training) and they got some great candid interviews. There are shots of places and equipment and people I see every day, but which rarely make it into documentaries.
See http://www.137films.org/films/theatomsmashers/ for more information.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Aaargh! I failed to close a tag!
PBS Independent Lens site.
137 Films, the production company, has a site for The Atom Smashers .
All tags closed? Looks like it. Now punching “Submit Comment.” Cross your fingers.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Saw it Monday in DC. The Planetary Radio podcast/radio show interviewed the makers of it last week. If it wasn’t for that episode, I wouldn’t have heard about it until right now.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Awesome video. All sorts of fascinating quotes. I liked the pictures of the cranky old vehicles hauling the mirror up the mountainside. Ancient technology compared to the absolutely fabulous pictures it ended up taking.
Then of course the religion shattering measurements that geometrically showed that stars were millions and even billions of years old.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
The show makes a point about how popular and prestigious types of science once were: crowds coming out to see the mirror go by, astronomers on the cover of TIME magazine. Things are more muddled today, it seems to me, but maybe that’s function of the loss of optimism, that science would make everything better, and we’d be trekking to those stars by now.
November 12th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Could they possibly make this epic period in the history of astronomy any more boring? Quite frankly, it was upsetting to see how tired and unimaginative this production was.
November 12th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
For some reason it’s not being shown in the PBS stations in the Bay Area (neither KQED, not KTEH nor the San Mateo station).
November 13th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
changcho Says: “For some reason it’s not being shown in the PBS stations in the Bay Area (neither KQED, not KTEH nor the San Mateo station).”
KQED will be playing it the middle of December.
- Jack
November 13th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
saw it tonight; thought it was excellent – missed some parts of it, however, due to something else i was working on…but, can i ask if i was hallucinating or what? because as i listened to Kevin Starr for one of his on camera spots, did he actually say that “…when NIXON said he’d put a man on the moon by the end of the decade…” ?????? excuse me, that was KENNEDY. did i actually hear Starr correctly or was that just me deep into my other project i was working on while watching? this came late into the program, btw.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
a follow up : yep, i must have been hallucinating. the producer says dr. starr said “kennedy.” my bad. i swore he said “nixon.” must. get. hearing. checked.
November 14th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Part of the trouble filming a story such as this is the non-dynamic subject, and the lack of visual materials available to tell it. That’s why programs often go with re-enactments (usually without words, to help international sales of the program), and snazzy computer graphics and camera moves.
As a docu show writer, I thought they did pretty well, but the building another telescope story got repetitive. At least they had more motion picture footage when they got to Palomar.
My favorite astronomy docu is “Universe” from Canada’s National Film Board. Though that was made a while back. http://www3.nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/?id=10842
November 15th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I’m friends with the filmmakers, so I’m probably biased, but it’s a great story and a superb film.
You’re right, whoever said they make the filmmakers pay for promotion. It was a struggle getting this made, it has drained every penny they have, although a last-minute grant will help offset some of the finishing costs. But there was no PR budget, so they ‘ve been doing it themselves with a little help from friends. The more you all can get the word out, the better.
They will make a little money on the DVD sales, so buy as many as you can. Great Christmas gift. Buy 10!
In Los Angeles, it’s on this weekend. Tonight (Saturday the 15th) at 9 pm, tomorrow at 3:30. You won’t be disappointed.
November 16th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Didn’t realize it was going to be on. Caught the last part. Fasinating! We went to Mount Palomar in 1977 and I think that was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.