Lick Observatory. Telescope dome at sunset at the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton in California, USA. Completed in 1888 at an altitude of 1280 meters, the Lick Observatory was the world's first permanent mountaintop observatory. Its location provided excellent viewing conditions for years until light pollution from the nearby city of San Jose began to interfere with results. In 1997 the observatory is operated by California University. (1999)