Updated at 6:31 p.m., Monday, June 25, 2007
Scope dome installed at Windward Community College
By Tiffany Hill
Advertiser Staff Writer
The $850,000 galvanized steel dome weighs 3,100 pounds and is 16 feet in diameter. It was installed 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 as a learning tool for astronomy students, community groups and schoolchildren.
Images from the telescope can be transferred onto computer screens inside the observatory lab.
Ciotti said the observatory is scheduled to open to the public in September.
WCC also operates radio, optical and solar telescopes. The observatory and Hokulani Imaginarium, an interactive center for students and community members, draw about 12,000 visitors a year.
