""I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Astronomer Elinor Gates said. "I couldn't believe that a storm could do that sort of dramatic damage to this historic telescope dome.""
""The beautiful round floor, around the telescope, was very, very wet after the storm," Gates said. "And while we did our best to mop things up, it soaked up a lot of water. And it is a very slow drying process. So, that is still ongoing.""
""This is the dome shutter," Gates said. "It's about 60-foot-long arc and weighs about five tons and you can see some of the damage where that and hit the ground. It actually registered on the Lick Observatory seismograph when it hit the ground.""
""We're definitely keeping a close eye on the weather," Gates said. "We've been super lucky that the weather has been good for the past, over a week.""
A Christmas morning storm produced winds up to 114 miles per hour that ripped the dome shutter off Lick Observatory's visitor center, exposing the telescope and soaking the floor. The 60-foot, five-ton shutter fell and struck the ground, breaking support beams and even registering on the observatory seismograph. Staff removed the arc with a crane and installed a temporary roof while monitoring weather. The telescope itself was unharmed, but the historic building was red-tagged and closed to visitors. Drying and structural repairs are ongoing, and reopening for summer programs is unlikely. Donations are being accepted via the observatory website to help cover repair costs.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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