Journey to Palomar

Five years in the making, the film traces the story of Chicago-born astronomer George Ellery Hale, considered the father of astrophysics, as he struggles personally and professionally to build the greatest telescopes of the 20th century at the Yerkes and Mount Wilson Observatories, and finally the 20-year effort to build the million-pound telescope on Palomar Mountain--considered the “moon shot” of the 1930s and ‘40s. Hale’s observatories revolutionized our understanding of the universe, making headlines throughout the 20th century with revelations such as Edwin Hubble’s 1929 discovery of the expansion of the universe. The documentary includes rare archival footage and interviews with America’s top scientists and historians.