Dwarf planet Eris was first spotted in 2003 during a Palomar Observatory survey of the outer solar system by Mike Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology; Chad Trujillo of the Gemini Observatory; and David Rabinowitz of Yale University.

Overview:
The Palomar Observatory is located in north San Diego County, Calif. It is a world-class center of astronomical research that is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The observatory is home to five telescopes that are nightly used for a wide variety of astronomical research programs. The research is conducted by Caltech's faculty, post-doctoral fellows and students, and by researchers at Caltech's collaborating institutions.

Mission Details:
The telescopes of the Palomar Observatory are involved in a wide variety of astronomical research programs. The studies conducted here range from the hunt for near-Earth asteroids to probing distant galaxies and quasars at the farthest reaches of the Universe. The Palomar Observatory is home to many telescopes. Some of them are famous and some are not. All of them contribute to our understanding of the Universe.

Science Instruments:

• 200-inch Hale Telescope
• 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope
• 60-inch Telescope
• Palomar Testbed Interferometer
• Planet Search Telescope
• 18-inch Schmidt Telescope
• 24-inch Telescope

Last Updated: 16 May 2011