Back around Christmastime, a big storm blew into California. One of the more notable sights of damager was the Lick Observatory, up in the mountains above San Jose.
This video shows some of what happened. Hopefully, soon it will be back looking at the stars, and I hope budget cuts don't keep it from that operation.
News indicates it's going to take awhile to get it up and running, and as I write this, they're protecting it from more storms.
This is quoted from the article:
"Built in the 1880s and in continuous use for nearly 140 years, the 36-inch Great Refractor was once the largest telescope of its kind and still anchors the observatory’s education and public-viewing programs. The pause in tours and public nights is a stark reminder of how vulnerable century-old instruments can be on an exposed mountain and why teams are racing to shield the telescope before any more storms roll through, according to the San Francisco Chronicle."
The Great Refractor is shown below. I learned while finding a picture of it that it is currently the largest refracting telescope currently in operation, as the largest, the 40-inch refractor at Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin, is currently not operational and may never be restored to operation.
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