SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — A Christmas morning storm caused incredible damage to the Lick Observatory visitor’s center and work to repair the building before the next storm is ongoing.
“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 Lick Observatory staff is quite literally still picking up the pieces from the storm.
The historic building is red-tagged and closed to visitors. But Gates gave us a first-hand look at the repairs underway.
VIDEO: Lick Observatory badly damaged after 114 mph winds Christmas morning
The Lick Observatory in San Jose was badly damaged by wind gusts that eclipsed 100 miles per hour, much stronger than the team there expected.
“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.”
The floor and telescope were exposed after winds topping out at 114 miles per hour ripped the shutter clean off the roof.
“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.”
The arc was removed by a giant crane. Underneath, support beams completely snapped from the weight.
The telescope was unharmed, but a temporary roof is being installed before other repairs can continue.
“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.”
The observatory will celebrate its 150th anniversary this summer.
There’s hope that the temporary roof will be done by weeks end, but reopening the building for summer programs is doubtful as of now.
You can donate to help with repair costs by visiting the Lick Observatory website by clicking here.
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