The Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) is located on a small island near the north shore of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California, 120 km East-Northeast of Los Angeles. Flying west into Los Angeles, one can frequently see the bright white observatory glistening in the forest-surrounded lake. The observatory is located in the lake to reduce image distortion which occurs when the Sun heats the ground, producing convection currents. The reduction of local convection currents along with the usually cloudless skies of southern California and the clarity of the air at the 2,000 meter elevation of Big Bear Lake, make BBSO one of the best sites in the world for solar observations. The GONG site is alongside the causeway near the high water level of the lake.
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