Mt. Wilson Surrounded by "Station" Fire (with MODIS satellite image links)

Clean-up burn-off activity from another camera angle 9/11-14.


Clean-up burn-off activity 9/10-11.


A short clean-up burn running from about 9/9/09 18:50 to 9/10/09 02:50.


(updated) The Towercam is back and pointing toward the Hooker Telescope dome. Here's a time lapse from Sep 4 through morning Sep 9. This may be the final installment, as the active sections of the fire are now quite distant from the Observatory. I'll continue to collect images for a while though in case something interesting does happen.


This short time-lapse video was assembled from images captured from the UCLA Towercam atop the solar observatory tower at the Mt. Wilson observatory. It ends when the Towercam dropped offline as a result of fire damage to a communication conduit. The camera has since returned to service.

This is likely to be the final update to this segment as the camera has ceased updating. Speculation is that the fire has burned the telecom facilities that provide internet connectivity to the Observatory. The good news is that the fires in question are backfires set by firefighters. There is reason for cautious optimism that the Observatory will survive this ordeal.

Incident Information [Inciweb]

"Station Fire" Information [City of La Cañada Flintridge]
Observatory Status [Mt. Wilson Observatory]
UCLA Towercam

MODIS Satellite Imagery
9/02 20:55 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
9/01 18:30 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
8/31 21:05 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
8/30 18:45 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
8/29 21:20 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]

Driving up Angeles Crest Highway in the aftermath of the fire

The roads are closed and an eerie calm pervades the scene. Brush and trees are blackened or just completely gone. Wooden road signs and the posts that once held roadside guard rails are in places completely gone, leaving the metal rail just sitting on the ground. This post-apocalyptic scene continues for miles and miles of road. I did not shoot this video and have not yet seen this place for myself but when it is accessible, I will have to head up there and capture my own photographs.


At the height of the blaze.

Mount Wilson Hooker 100 Inch Telescope

A weekend visit to the Mount Wilson Observatory


Approaching the observatory, its brightly illuminated dome peeks out from between the trees.


Inside this structure hides the 100 inch Hooker telescope.


Inside the observatory dome structure, the 100 inch Hooker Telescope stands silently in its parked position.