Palomar History Photo of the Week - Plowing Snow

More winter weather is due on Palomar Mountain this weekend and I am overdue in posting a History Photo of the Week, so let's combine the two with this photo:

It was taken February 9, 1939 by Lee A. Farnsworth, Jr as he took a break from plowing snow to capture his tractor with the dome of the 200-inch telescope in the background.

From the looks of the current National Weather Service forecast for Palomar Mountain, it is likely that history will repeat itself with snow plows again being called into action at the observatory this weekend. If that is the case, it is a good bet that the observatory will be closed to the public for the coming weekend (Feb 26 & 27).