The 200-inch Hale Telescope inside this dome was the world's largest optical telescope from 1948 until 1993.  The astronomer who conceived it, George Ellery Hale, died ten years before it was finished.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #966

• Denomination: 3 cents (3¢)

• Date of Issue: August 30, 1948

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11 × 10½

• Color: Bright Blue

• Subject: Palomar Mountain Observatory dome, San Diego County, California

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Fine

• Postmark: Light black machine postmark consisting of parallel wavy lines, well-placed without obscuring the observatory dome or denomination.

• Obverse: Design is sharp throughout with consistent color. No visible surface scuffs, fading, or structural damage.

• Reverse: No original gum present, as expected for a used stamp. Paper is clean with no evidence of thinning, toning, or hinge remnants.

• Centering / Margins: Good. Margins remain clear and perforations do not intersect the printed frame.

• Perforations: Intact on all four sides. No evidence of trimming, reperforation, or artificial alteration.

HISTORY

Palomar Observatory sits atop Palomar Mountain in San Diego County, California, and houses the 200-inch Hale Telescope — named for George Ellery Hale, the astronomer who spent decades campaigning for its construction. Hale conceived the project in the 1920s, secured Rockefeller Foundation funding in 1928, and oversaw its early development, but died in 1938, a full decade before the telescope saw first light in 1948. The dedication ceremony took place on June 3, 1948, just months before this stamp was issued on August 30 of the same year.

From 1948 until 1993, the Hale Telescope was the world's largest operational optical telescope, 45 years at the frontier of observational astronomy. During that period it contributed to discoveries about the expansion rate of the universe, the nature of quasars, and the distances of galaxies. The observatory remains operational today and continues to contribute to professional astronomical research.

The 3¢ denomination served the domestic first-class letter rate in 1948, giving this commemorative wide circulation during the year of the observatory's opening.

STEVEN SAYS

Hale spent decades getting the telescope built and died ten years before it was finished. It was the world's largest for 45 years. The Post Office issued this stamp the same year it opened. The timing was deliberate and the science behind the dome is worth knowing.