Lick Observatory

04/02/2026

Did you feel it? This morning, at 1:41 am, an earthquake shook the Santa Cruz and Bay Areas. Originally estimated at 5.1 magnitude, it has been revised downward to 4.9 mag, and revised again to 4.6 mag, according to the USGS Earthquake website. Some Lick Observatory staff woke up to the shaking, while others slept through it. The Lick staff and astronomers will inspect the facilities and telescopes today to ensure that everything is undamaged and ready for science tonight. Lick Observatory has been monitoring earthquakes since the 1880s as part of the Berkeley seismograph network. The image below shows this morning's earthquake, visible as the red area, on the Lick Observatory seismograph.

03/23/2026

On March 22nd, just before 8:20pm, a bright meteor, also known as a fireball, was seen by many in California, and the neighboring states of Nevada and Arizona. Lick Observatory's SkyCam caught it. In the SkyCam stills (60 second exposures), you can see the meteor in the lower left as a greenish vertical streak as the meteor travelled roughly from the north to the south. Note, times in Lick Observatory's web camera images are always Pacific Standard Time, as opposed to the current Pacific Daylight Time zone.

03/11/2026

Call for the NIGHT's WATCH — Part-Time Positions Open
We're recruiting sharp-eyed observers to guard our laser-restricted airspace after dark, scanning the skies.

If you've ever wanted a legitimate reason to stare at the night sky for hours, this is it. For more information follow the link below.
https://jobs.ucsc.edu/ scroll down the Staff Opportunities web page and click on the External Candidate Gateway button or Internal gateway button if you’re a current UCSC employee. On the next page enter the 5 digit Job Opening ID 84820 in the “Search Jobs” field at the top of the page.

03/04/2026

Repair work continues for the damage from the Christmas storm. The temporary dome slit cover is doing its job protecting the telescope from rain, snow, and wind, allowing the staff to remove the tarps from the 36" Lick Refractor Telescope. The lenses for the 36" refractor have been inspected and are fine, just needing some cleaning. The water-damaged electrical systems have been repaired. The dormers on the Main Building/Visitor Center roof, that were crushed by the dome shutter door, are in the process of being rebuilt, rafters in the attic are being replaced, and roof repairs continue. Lick Observatory staff hope to inspect and test the electromechanical systems of the telescope (e.g., tracking motors and electronics, position dials, etc.) soon to see if there was any damage or corrosion from the water intrusion.

03/03/2026

If you’re in the Bay Area this is a great opportunity to hear our UC Observatories Director Bruce Macintosh speak about his work and give an update on our observatory’s recovery after the December storm damage.

Free Public Astronomy Talk—3/11—Foothill College
“Pictures of Distant Worlds” presented by Dr. Bruce Macintosh (Director of the University of California Observatories). Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 7 pm. Dr. Macintosh will also give a brief update on the damage and recovery at Lick Observatory.
For directions and parking information, see: https://foothill.edu/parking/
For a campus map, to find the Smithwick Theater (Bldg. 1000), see: https://foothill.edu/map/

02/25/2026

Written by Kaia Glickman, UC Santa Cruz Science Masters student in Science Communications — she went behind the scenes with staff to show how our community repeatedly protects this historic landmark. Lick’s Observatory's people have stepped up time and again — beginning as far back as 1939, when two WWII pilots crashed into the main building in the fog. Read their stories below.

At 7:30 a.m. on Christmas Day, Toby Morning drove the winding roads of Mount Hamilton toward her sister's house to open presents. Morning, the custodian at Lick Observatory, passed the observatory's main building and its iconic white dome, which has overlooked San Jose for nearly 150 years. She spot...

02/06/2026

On February 3rd and 4th, the temporary cover for the 36-inch refractor telescope dome was completed. The time-lapse video shows the installation of the final waterproof layer on the dome slit cover and metal flashing around the edges to ensure that wind or storms will not remove the waterproofing. The video also shows the ongoing repairs to the Main Building roof.

Now that the historic telescope and dome are protected, observatory staff and engineers will devise a plan to fix the dome. Repairs to the building are continuing.

Background:
On December 25th, 2025, powerful winds, gusting over 100 mph, removed one of the two dome shutters on the historic 36-inch refractor dome, leaving the telescope inside exposed to the weather. The dome shutter landed on the roof of the Main Building, damaging the structure. Soon after the incident, construction crews started installing a temporary slit cover to protect the dome and telescope and repairing the building damage.

Donations to Lick Observatory can be made at www.lickobservatory.org.

On February 3rd and 4th, the temporary cover for the 36-inch refractor telescope dome was completed. The time-lapse shows the installation of the final wate...

01/22/2026

Storm Damage Recovery Update:
Work continues to protect the historic 36-inch Refractor Telescope following the storm damage to the dome on December 25th. A temporary wooden cover has now been completed for the dome slit, and an initial layer of waterproof material has been installed over the wood. Inside the dome, a protective tarp has been positioned beneath the slit to capture any debris or moisture that may enter and safely divert it away from the telescope.

Tomorrow, additional waterproofing will be added to the temporary slit cover to provide further protection. Once the dome is fully sealed, observatory staff will remove the tarps covering the telescope and conduct a thorough inspection of the instrument, its optical and mechanical systems, and the dome’s electrical systems to assess any potential impacts of the water intrusion into the dome that haven't already been identified.

Donations to support recovery efforts can be made at www.lickobservatory.org

01/19/2026

Tonight's sunset view from the Main Building at Lick Observatory. The Nickel telescope dome, at left, has just opened to prepare for twilight flat field calibrations in anticipation of taking science data once the sky is dark. Construction equipment surrounds the building as work continues on covering the 36" Refractor dome slit after extreme winds removed one of the dome shutters during the early morning hours on December 25th. The panoramic photo was taken by staff astronomer Elinor Gates.

Donations to support Lick Observatory's recovery from the storm damage can be made at www.lickobservatory.org

01/14/2026

It’s been 20 days since the observatory experienced the worst windstorm in staff memory with gusts peaking at 114 miles per hour. The salvageability of the multi-ton shutter remains uncertain, our focus remains concentrated on emergency mitigation efforts. Read more below

https://lick.science.ucsc.edu/gifts/january-14-2026-update-on-storm-damage-at-lick-observatory/

01/07/2026

The tarps and plastic sheeting did their job over the past week to protect the 36" Lick Refractor Telescope and the beautiful woodwork in the dome. During that time contractors and staff devised a plan to cover the open dome slit to prevent water and wind from getting in the dome. Today the weather is clear and calm enough for the dome slit cover construction to begin. We hope this work will be completed before the wet weather returns. Work continues in the attic of the Main Building to assess and fix the water damage.

Many thanks to those of you who have shown your support for Lick Observatory during this trying time and have donated to support recovery efforts. Donations can continue to be made at www.lickobservatory.org