Return to Palomar

A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Robert Gandolfi and his wife Bobbi. Back in 1968-69 Robert was here on Palomar, working for Western Gear Corporation, working on the construction of the dome and Oscar Mayer Building that houses our 60-inch telescope.

That's Robert on the right in this photo with the uncompleted dome behind him. Robert had some great stories and photos to share about his experiences from that time. What I didn't realize until his visit was that his work had finished before the telescope was installed and he had never actually seen it. I was happy to show him the telescope as it is today and explain the research that it is being used for. Here is Robert in his return to Palomar, nearly 40 years after his last visit.

I am glad that he was able to finally see the telescope and the fruits of his labors all those years ago.

By the way, in the coming week the 60-inch telescope will have its mirror pulled to be re-aluminized. I'll be posting photos of pieces and parts while explaining the process.