Star trails

PALOMAR MOUNTAIN, Calif.--For much of the 20th century, the Hale Telescope, at the Palomar Observatory, in the mountains northeast of San Diego, was the best place in the world to study the skies.

With its groundbreaking 200-inch telescope, the Observatory -- which is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology -- allowed scientists to discover radio galaxies, quasars, and more. But the site is home to several other important telescopes that have also been instrumental in astronomy.

As part of Road Trip 2012, CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman stopped by the observatory for a close-up look at one of America's most important scientific sites.

Here, we see time-lapse photography of the 200-inch dome and the trails of hundreds of stars in the sky.