SAN JOSE — Perched high on Mount Hamilton above San Jose is the Lick Observatory.It was dedicated in 1888 as the world’s first high-altitude observatory. It is at 4,250 feet above sea-level and still operates what was, at the time, the largest telescope of any type in the world – the great 36-inch diameter refractor. A refracting telescope uses a glass objective lens as opposed to a reflecting mirror like most modern, larger telescopes.