Lick Observatory, University observatory on Mount Hamilton, San Jose, US

Lick Observatory is a Classical Revival observatory complex on the summit of Mount Hamilton, about 4,209 feet above sea level east of San Jose. Its main building holds the 36-inch James Lick refractor, a white segmented tube on a light metal equatorial mount above a blue-painted column, under a dome of orange steel struts and dark glass panels. A second white hemispherical dome rises behind a band of trees.

James Lick, a carpenter and piano maker who arrived in San Francisco from Peru in 1847, left $700,000 for the observatory, built between 1876 and 1887 on Mount Hamilton. He also required Santa Clara County to build a road to the summit, finished in 1876; its winding course survives as State Route 130. Lick was buried in 1887 beneath the site of the 36-inch telescope, which saw first light on January 3, 1888 and remained the world's largest refractor until 1897.

The name honours James Lick, the carpenter and piano maker from San Francisco who left $700,000 for the observatory and is buried beneath the 36-inch refractor, his grave marked by a brass tablet reading "Here lies the body of James Lick". San Jose's sodium streetlights, adopted in the 1980s to cut light pollution, earned the city an asteroid name: 6216 San Jose, so designated in 1998 for its support of the observatory.

Visitors can tour the facility year-round and participate in evening viewing sessions, though advance registration is needed for most activities. Bring layers and warm clothing since the mountain location means cooler temperatures and weather changes throughout the evening.

The founder James Lick chose an unusual honor for himself: his remains were placed beneath the floor of the original telescope building. This makes the site both a working science center and a personal memorial to the philanthropist whose gift made the whole place possible.