Los Angeles filmmakers Todd and Robin Mason will present their new documentary film, The Journey to Palomar, on the epic 20th century story of George Ellery Hale, the birth of American astrophysics and the discovery of the universe.

The documentary is the result of more than five years' work by the Masons.  The film traces the story of the Chicago-born astronomer, considered the father of astrophysics, as he struggles personally and professionally to build the greatest telescopes of the 20th century at the Yerkes and Mount Wilson Observatories, and finally the 20-year effort to build the million-pound telescope on Palomar mountain beginning in the 1930s. Hale's observatories revolutionized our understanding of the universe, making headlines throughout the 20th century with revelations such as Edwin Hubble's 1929 discovery of the expansion of the universe.  The documentary includes interviews with America's top scientists and historians and rare archival footage.  More information and a short trailer can be seen at www.journeytopalomar.org.