The dome, made out of galvanized steel, weighs 3,100 pounds and is 16 feet in diameter. The $850,000 dome was installed at noon by a local construction crew donating its crane and manpower.

"The dome ... protects against the wind because you don't want a vibrating telescope," said Joe Ciotti, professor of physics, astronomy and mathematics at WCC. "It also protects against stray light."

The rotating dome will house a 16-inch reflecting telescope that will be used for night viewing of the stars and planets and will be used as a learning tool for astronomy students as well as the surrounding community and schools.

Images from the telescope, sitting on a concrete tower going down into the ground in the observatory building, can also be transferred onto computer screens inside the observatory lab.