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Ah, the glamorous life of an astronomer. Scott Kardel, public affairs coordinator for the Palomar Observatory, found himself on top of the dome of the 200-inch Hale Telescope — not observing, but shoveling. Snow. Palomar Mountain has been getting its share of the white stuff this winter, and this weekend close to a foot of snow fell in the area. All that snow can cause problems for using the telescope.
“The basic problem is this,” Kardel wrote on his blog, Palomar Skies. “If you open the dome with snow on the top, snow will fall in on the telescope and instrumentation. So a small crew, each secured with a safety harness, is sent up to remove the snow from the dome slit.”
Kardel posted a nice collection of scenic images from his foray on top of the snow-covered dome, adding that, “At Palomar Observatory every day is an adventure.”
Astronomer Scott Kardel on top of the 200-inch Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory shoveling snow. Image courtesy Scott Kardel.
About Nancy Atkinson
Nancy Atkinson is Universe Today's Senior Editor. She also is the host of the NASA Lunar Science Institute podcast and works with the Astronomy Cast and 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.
