Keck Telescope Goes Dark at Public Viewing
The powerful Keck Telescope continues to under repair and non-functioning, but the public viewing of the stars will continue Friday, May 18, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and lasting several hours at the ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Observatory. Smaller telescopes will be provided by ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ and members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit.
The ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Observatory opens its doors to the public every third Friday of the month. The Keck Telescope is housed in the observatory between Russell Carr Field and the track and field/soccer complex. Free parking is available near the baseball field. The telescope, which began having problems in February, needs a new computer, drivers and other equipment installed that will cost about $34,000. Ken Kihlstrom, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ professor of physics, says a borrowed computer has not worked either and the new equipment could take several months to arrive and install.