The gift will go toward a much-needed upgrade — a modern, computer-controlled dome to match the observatory’s state ... must be on the roof to manually open the dome and monitor the controls.

About 100 visitors pass through the dome each hour it’s open during the summer months. “I think they’re awed,” says Jane Mason, who has been volunteering at the observatory for a year.

The European Southern Observatory (ESO ... The two sliding doors located on the dome's roof open laterally and are designed to protect the telescope from the harsh desert environment.

The observatory is currently operated jointly between the Department of Electrical Engineering Department and the Physics department. Current projects are through the Society of Optics and Photonics ...

We live in volcano country in the Pacific Northwest and a big anniversary is coming up later this month. Saturday, May 18 is the 45th anniversary of the eruption Mount Saint Helens eruption in 1980.

But searching the deepest reaches of space isn't the observatory's only calling, incredibly important though it is: Mt. Wilson is also home to several popular events, from concerts in the dome ...