KENNEWICK — The observatory that was used to search the night sky above Rattlesnake Mountain for more than 35 years has been dismantled and hauled down the mountain.
Its components, from the telescope to the rotating dome, are in storage at Columbia Basin College in Pasco.
“This is really an opportunity for us,” said Ken Swanson, executive director of the Alliance for Advancement of Science Through Astronomy, or AASTA.
Although the nonprofit group had no choice but to remove the telescope — the largest in the state — it has been able to save the facility with the help of $250,000 from Battelle, which operates the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Now AASTA is making plans to refurbish and reinstall the Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory at a more convenient site. It won’t be able to find one that has the same combination of panoramic view, elevation and darkness of Rattlesnake Mountain, but it should be able to find a site that allows the telescope to be used more frequently than when it was on a portion of the Hanford Reach National Monument that’s closed to the public.
“We’ll have to compromise,” Swanson said. “That’s the nature of it. But if it means we can get it ready to use as an educational resource, a little compromise is worth it.”
Because of access restrictions, no public use of the observatory has been scheduled for several years.
The group will spend the summer looking at and considering new locations for the observatory with a goal of finding the best site available, ideally within about 30 minutes of the Tri-Cities. A new site should be picked by fall.
In March 2008 the Department of Energy notified AASTA that it would need to remove the observatory from Rattlesnake Mountain, which is part of the security perimeter around the Hanford nuclear reservation.
DOE is working to clear the top of the mountain of manmade structures in response to requests by Indian tribes to protect an area covered by treaties that the tribes have used historically and consider sacred. DOE also has been concerned about using money intended for Hanford environmental cleanup to repair the deteriorating primitive road up the mountain.
Battelle Memorial Institute built the observatory, which has a 0.8-meter Cassegrain telescope, for research in 1971. It donated the observatory to AASTA in 2005.
However, Battelle remains obligated under its original use permit to remove the observatory and restore the site. It’s helping AASTA not only remove the observatory but supporting its efforts to eventually relocate it.
“We believe there is considerable interest in the Mid-Columbia in astronomy and relocating the telescope will allow AASTA to continue to provide a public service,” said Greg Koller, spokesman for Battelle.
The telescope was removed over about two weeks in June by contractors Levernier Construction of Spokane Valley and Ash-Dome Co. of Plainfield, Ill. Dick Hoch, who was the first director of the observatory for Battelle, oversaw the work.
“He saved everything,” said Mike Durst, the AASTA board acting president. “The only thing that is not reusable is the concrete slab.”
Work to take down the observatory and dismantle its pieces was thoroughly photographed to help guide workers to assemble it again.
The mirror of the telescope was taken out and then the telescope was removed in a single lift, Durst said. Then the dome was lifted off intact and dismantled on the ground, he said.
Flatbed trucks were used to bring the pieces down the mountain, which has a steep and winding road that’s one lane in places. Battelle plans to remove the concrete slab later this summer.
As AASTA looks at new sites for the observatory, it is hoping that it can find a good location close to the Tri-Cities, because of the support, interest and donations from the community that the observatory has enjoyed. It also will be considering criteria for good viewing.
“We will be very seriously assessing the quality of the sky and light pollution from surrounding lighting,” Swanson said. “We’ll also factor in public access and how it might be used.”
The group has formed a consortium with area colleges to provide student access. The consortium includes CBC, Whitman College in Walla Walla, Heritage University in Toppenish, Washington State University and the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory at Hanford.
Durst envisions the observatory being used to teach college students in the Mid-Columbia how to operate a large telescope and allow them to conduct research with it. Such opportunities are rare for college students nationwide, he said.
Other members of AASTA also are interested in some access for the public and younger students.
Once a site is picked and utilities are in place, AASTA will make sure the equipment is in top shape before it is installed. It likely will clean and recoat the mirror and repair and improve the motors that drive the telescope.
It could be installed in 12 to 18 months, Durst said.
“We will lose some sky conditions, but hopefully we will improve the access for everyone to use it,” he said.
Information from: Tri-City Herald, www.tri-cityherald.com
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