California IN BRIEF : IRVINE : University Reveals Observatory Plans

UC Irvine announced plans to build Orange County’s largest astronomical observatory on parkland provided by the city of Irvine. The observatory, to be built on a bowl-shaped site in the coastal foothills that is shielded from all sides to reduce light pollution, will house a 24-inch telescope with infrared capability. While small in size when compared to research telescopes at Palomar Observatory in San Diego and the Mt. Wilson Observatory in the Angeles National Forest, UC Irvine’s planned telescope will be more powerful than most amateur or college equipment. A UC Irvine spokesman said the university hopes to award a contract for construction of the telescope in the next few weeks at an estimated cost of $70,000. It will take about a year to build the instrument and prepare the site.