Is there a particular reason that the observatories are domed shaped?
Now that’s an insightful question! The reason is that telescopes need to be able to look at any place in the sky, including low down. The best way to do this is have a slot in the roof, and to have the roof rotate. The best way to do all that is to have a dome for a roof. There are other shapes in use: Small telescopes frequently have a cube-shaped shed that just rolls away leaving the entire telescope out in the air. Also, there is now a trend towards 8-sided roofs with sides that completely open. This design allows air to flow across the telescope and makes everything the same temperature as the outside air. This reduces turbulence and improves the quality of the images. SCIENTIST: John Leibacher, National Solar Observatory, Kitt Peak SOLAR PHYSICIST QUESTION: How did you know you wanted to be a solar scientist? Robert ANSWER: Robert, my story is a bit unusual. I didn’t really know until I got to graduate school. I have always been interested in physics and in mathematics, but could
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