Overview
- Christmas Day winds exceeding about 110 mph tore a multi‑ton steel shutter from the Great Refractor’s dome, with the door crashing onto an adjoining building before being lowered to the ground by crane.
- A holiday crew wrapped the 57‑foot telescope in tarps and moved artifacts, and initial checks indicate the instrument itself was not damaged and no injuries were reported.
- The fallen shutter left a gap in the dome and a larger opening covered by a windscreen, and crews are installing temporary protections to keep out rain from a series of incoming storms forecast this week.
- Contractors are evaluating noninvasive coverings attached to the dome’s interior framework after rejecting drilling through the 19th‑century structure, and a permanent repair remains unresolved.
- Leaders say restoration will likely take many months, the Main Building remains closed, and newer research telescopes at Lick continue operating.