BRANDON, MAN. — In a partnership with Brandon University, the Manitoba government is replacing the Gulliver Astronomical Observatory’s telescope dome.
Approximately $100,000 in funding will go towards the dome replacement, which supplements a $50,000 donation from Brandon University astronomy professor Dr. Austin Gulliver’s family.
The university installed its original rooftop telescope and dome in 1971. The university replaced the telescope in 2009 with a computerized Ritchey-Chrétien model, which is 16 inches in diameter and provides observers the ability to image other planets and galaxies, a release reads.
The dome, which has not been replaced since 1971, is no longer weatherproof. It must also be manually opened and monitored from the roof, which creates risks for staff and equipment.
The new dome will be weather-sealed, automated and connected to the internet so it can be operated remotely and protected from environmental damage, while allowing students, researchers and the public to watch the telescope’s live view online, the release adds.
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