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Mount Wilson Observatory

In research, Mount Wilson Observatory stands highest in Physics and Astronomy (#1,217 of 2,917 worldwide), Physical Sciences (#8,075 of 17,446 worldwide) and Astronomy and Astrophysics (#529 of 954 worldwide), over all time.

mtwilson.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, all time
#19,531
of 34,923
Rank in United States
#4,055
of 7,310
Research works
358
▼ 18% vs 2018-21
Citations
13k
35.8 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
9.5%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.18×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
31%
world 40%
International
18%
world 18%
Mount Wilson Observatory

What is Mount Wilson Observatory known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, over all time, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorks
Physics and AstronomyField #1,217 of 2,917 16.9%249
Physical SciencesDomain #8,075 of 17,446 17.0%325
Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield #529 of 954 15.4%177

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Mount Wilson Observatory sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which fields of science does Mount Wilson Observatory work in?

In all years, 91% of research at Mount Wilson Observatory is in Physical Sciences, 5% in Social Sciences. Its largest fields are Physics and Astronomy (70%), Engineering (11%), Earth and Planetary Sciences (4%). It does 2.2× the world's share of Physical Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 325 fractional works · 90.6% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 249 fractional works · 69.5% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 177 fractional works · 49.5% of its workInstrumentation: 45 fractional works · 12.5% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 10 fractional works · 2.9% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 8 fractional works · 2.2% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 6 fractional works · 1.7% of its workRadiation: 2 fractional works · 0.5% of its workCondensed Matter Physics: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEngineering: 39 fractional works · 10.8% of its workComputational Mechanics: 17 fractional works · 4.7% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 7 fractional works · 1.9% of its workAerospace Engineering: 5 fractional works · 1.4% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 3 fractional works · 0.9% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workOcean Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMechanical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMechanics of Materials: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 15 fractional works · 4.1% of its workOceanography: 5 fractional works · 1.4% of its workAtmospheric Science: 5 fractional works · 1.3% of its workGeophysics: 4 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSpace and Planetary Science: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workChemistry: 7 fractional works · 2.0% of its workSpectroscopy: 5 fractional works · 1.4% of its workPhysical and Theoretical Chemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnvironmental Science: 5 fractional works · 1.4% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.5% of its workComputer Science: 5 fractional works · 1.3% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 4 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMathematics: 4 fractional works · 1.0% of its workTheoretical Computer Science: 2 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.5% of its workMaterials Science: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSurfaces, Coatings and Films: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnergy: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workSocial Sciences: 18 fractional works · 5.0% of its workArts and Humanities: 9 fractional works · 2.5% of its workClassics: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHistory and Philosophy of Science: 2 fractional works · 0.5% of its workArcheology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workConservation: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHistory: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhilosophy: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workSocial Sciences: 5 fractional works · 1.4% of its workEducation: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSociology and Political Science: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 2 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workPsychology: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workDecision Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 8 fractional works · 2.2% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 4 fractional works · 1.2% of its workMolecular Biology: 4 fractional works · 1.1% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workFood Science: 2 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workParasitology: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth Sciences: 8 fractional works · 2.1% of its workMedicine: 6 fractional works · 1.7% of its workReproductive Medicine: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 1.0% of its workHealth Professions: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workNursing: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workALL ITS WORKMount WilsonObservatory358fractional works, all years
Life Sciences2%Physical Sciences91%Health Sciences2%Social Sciences5%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in all years. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 22 fields, with their numbers
    1. Physics and Astronomy24969.5%
    2. Engineering3910.8%
    3. Earth and Planetary Sciences154.1%
    4. Chemistry72.0%
    5. Environmental Science51.4%
    6. Computer Science51.3%
    7. Mathematics41.0%
    8. Materials Science20.4%
    9. Energy00.0%
    1. Arts and Humanities92.5%
    2. Social Sciences51.4%
    3. Economics, Econometrics and Finance20.5%
    4. Psychology20.4%
    5. Decision Sciences10.2%
    6. Business, Management and Accounting00.1%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology41.2%
    2. Agricultural and Biological Sciences20.6%
    3. Immunology and Microbiology20.4%
    1. Medicine61.7%
    2. Health Professions10.2%
    3. Nursing00.1%
    4. Veterinary00.0%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Computer Science: 0.69× its world share, 1 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 2.43× its world share, 0 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.47× its world share, 0 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.96× its world share, 2 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.81× its world share, 0 worksEnvironmental SciencePhysics and Astronomy: 27.72× its world share, 8 worksPhysics and AstronomyBusiness, Management and Accounting: 1.11× its world share, 0 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 2.79× its world share, 0 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.84× its world share, 0 worksEconomics, Econometr…Social Sciences: 0.11× its world share, 0 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 27.7×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 10 fields, with their numbers
  1. Physics and Astronomy27.72×8 works
  2. Decision Sciences2.79×0 works
  3. Earth and Planetary Sciences2.43×0 works
  4. Energy1.47×0 works
  5. Business, Management and Accounting1.11×0 works
  6. Engineering0.96×2 works
  7. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.84×0 works
  8. Environmental Science0.81×0 works
  9. Computer Science0.69×1 works
  10. Social Sciences0.11×0 works

Who are the top researchers at Mount Wilson Observatory?

Ranked on the quality score, Alina Surmacka Szczesniak, Alfred H. Joy and Harold D. Babcock lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Mount Wilson Observatory.

  1. 1 Alina Surmacka Szczesniak United States · #148,759 worldwide 7.4k citations · 65 works
  2. 2 Alfred H. Joy United States · #1,524,627 worldwide 3.3k citations · 231 works
  3. 3 Harold D. Babcock United States · #1,859,620 worldwide 1.7k citations · 105 works
  4. 4 Edwin Hubble United States · #1,865,245 worldwide 6.4k citations · 109 works
  5. 5 Walter S. Adams United States · #1,931,842 worldwide 2.9k citations · 363 works
  6. 6 Allen Sandage United States · #2,037,203 worldwide 573 citations · 17 works
  7. 7 Frederick Hanley Seares United States · #2,052,908 worldwide 388 citations · 168 works
  8. 8 Greaves United States · #2,197,511 worldwide 177 citations · 18 works
  9. 9 Charles E. St. John United States · #2,415,128 worldwide 387 citations · 91 works
  10. 10 Francis G. Pease United States · #2,442,243 worldwide 1.1k citations · 71 works
All ranked researchers at Mount Wilson Observatory

What are the most cited papers from Mount Wilson Observatory?

The most cited paper from Mount Wilson Observatory is "Texture is a sensory property" (Alina Surmacka Szczesniak, 2002), with 1,657 citations. Next come "Studies of the Virgo Cluster. II - A catalog of 2096 galaxies in the Virgo Cluster area. V - Luminosity functions of Virgo Cluster galaxies" (939) and "THE LOW-LUMINOSITY END OF THE RADIUS-LUMINOSITY RELATIONSHIP FOR ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI" (864).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Texture is a sensory property Alina Surmacka Szczesniak · Food Quality and Preference Jun 2002 1,657
2 Studies of the Virgo Cluster. II - A catalog of 2096 galaxies in the Virgo Cluster area. V - Luminosity functions of Virgo Cluster galaxies B. Binggeli, Allan Sandage, G. A. TAMMANN · The Astronomical Journal Sep 1985 939
3 THE LOW-LUMINOSITY END OF THE RADIUS-LUMINOSITY RELATIONSHIP FOR ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI Misty C. Bentz, K. D. Denney, Catherine J. Grier et al. · The Astrophysical Journal Open access 5 Apr 2013 864
4 CCD surface photometry of elliptical galaxies - I. Observations, reduction and results R. Jędrzejewski · Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Jun 1987 830
5 No planet for HD 166435 D. Queloz, G. W. Henry, J. P. Sivan et al. · Astronomy and Astrophysics Open access Nov 2001 755
All 59 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Mount Wilson Observatory?

By fractional works in all years, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Exoplanets, Stellar Astrophysics, Astronomical Instrumentation, Spectrograph, Star Formation, Magnetic Fields, Accretion Disks and Radio Astronomy.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in all years in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Exoplanets57▲ 217×1 topic
  2. Stellar Astrophysics57▲ 217×1 topic
  3. Astronomical Instrumentation45▲ 244×1 topic
  4. Spectrograph45▲ 244×1 topic
  5. Star Formation33▲ 98×2 topics
  6. Magnetic Fields26▲ 71×3 topics
  7. Accretion Disks26▲ 90×2 topics
  8. Radio Astronomy25▲ 193×2 topics
  9. Spectroscopy25▲ 21×5 topics
  10. Solar System Abundances22▲ 71×1 topic
  11. Terrestrial Planets22▲ 71×1 topic
  12. Turbulence21▲ 41×2 topics
  13. Molecular Clouds21▲ 120×1 topic
  14. Protoplanetary Disks21▲ 120×1 topic
  15. Solar Wind20▲ 40×2 topics
  16. High-Resolution Imaging19▲ 89×3 topics
  17. Solar Observations19▲ 272×1 topic
  18. Transits of Venus19▲ 272×1 topic
  19. Black Holes18▲ 34×3 topics
  20. Coronal Mass Ejections17▲ 68×1 topic
  21. Solar Dynamics Observatory17▲ 68×1 topic
  22. Optical 3D Laser Measurement16▲ 232×1 topic
  23. Position-Sensitive Detector16▲ 232×1 topic
  24. Cosmology13▲ 38×3 topics
  25. Dark Matter12▲ 18×3 topics
  26. Galaxies12▲ 75×1 topic
  27. Stellar Populations12▲ 75×1 topic
  28. Gravitational Waves8▲ 34×2 topics
  29. Supernovae8▲ 21×2 topics
  30. Nucleosynthesis7▲ 19×2 topics
  31. Adaptive Optics7▲ 97×1 topic
  32. Wavefront Sensing7▲ 97×1 topic
  33. Gamma-Ray Bursts7▲ 55×1 topic
  34. Neutron Stars7▲ 55×1 topic
  35. Electron Acceleration6▲ 19×2 topics
  36. Epoch of Reionization6▲ 101×1 topic
  37. Low-Frequency Telescopes6▲ 101×1 topic
  38. Galactic Center6▲ 25×2 topics
  39. Event Horizon Telescope5▲ 46×1 topic
  40. X-Ray Spectroscopy5▲ 20×2 topics

Which research topics does Mount Wilson Observatory publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies, Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies, Astronomy and Astrophysical Research and Astro and Planetary Science.

Stellar, planetary, and …2Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies: 2 fractional worksAstrophysics and Star Fo…2Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies: 2 fractional worksAstronomy and Astrophysical Research: 1 fractional worksAstro and Planetary Science: 1 fractional worksRadio Astronomy Observations and Technology: 0 fractional worksAstronomical Observations and Instrumentation: 0 fractional worksAdaptive optics and wavefront sensing: 0 fractional worksGeological Modeling and Analysis: 0 fractional worksAuthorship Attribution and Profiling: 0 fractional worksUnderground infrastructure and sustainability: 0 fractional works
Astronomy and AstrophysicsInstrumentationComputational MechanicsAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics3 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 2 works
  2. 2 Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 2 works
  3. 3 Astronomy and Astrophysical Research Instrumentation 1 works
  4. 4 Astro and Planetary Science Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
  5. 5 Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology Astronomy and Astrophysics 0 works
  6. 6 Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation Computational Mechanics 0 works
  7. 7 Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 0 works
  8. 8 Geological Modeling and Analysis Geochemistry and Petrology 0 works
  9. 9 Authorship Attribution and Profiling Artificial Intelligence 0 works
  10. 10 Underground infrastructure and sustainability Building and Construction 0 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available31.1%not open68.9%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors17.7%domestic only82.3%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Mount Wilson Observatory's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 18% lower than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Mount Wilson Observatory as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.000062% in 2024.

still counting0.0020%0.0040%0.0060%Mount Wilson Observatory0.000014% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Mount Wilson Observatory over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

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Mount Wilson Observatory on Science Explorer

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