The Clamshell Dome
Jean-Luc Dighaye
A 12-ft (3.6m) clamshell dome for EurAstro West's 'Albert' telescope was
manufactured by Astro Haven in British Columbia, and transported to Montréal,
Antwerpen and eventually Nivezé, where a 4m x 4.5m, 6 cu. m concrete block
had been prepared by my neighbour Patrick Joachim, Facility Manager.
Unexpectedly, the parts of the dome were delivered without a container, and
the lorry lacked any handling tools, thus the stuff was simply dropped on
Patrick!
I inspected the shells with my father Jean before erecting the four base
sections on the block. Suddenly, one section fell backwards and went skiing
down the garden! With the help of Patrick and Didier Keus, Deputy Manager,
we could assemble the base. Thierry Thysebaert, Science Manager, came just on
time for the integration of the clams, giving the facility its distinctive
biker's helmet look. We had to perform the final motor adjustments in a hurry
before the onset of a storm, but everything went smoothly and we celebrated
as snow and rain just reached us.
We soon learned that the dome was not completely water-tight unless secured
with the manual locks - as a result, rain had leaked inside, forming a
Lake Albert! So, we had a nickname, also a reminder of 'Laeken', where an even
more famous Albert stays: LAC (Lieu Astronomique Convivial) Albert.
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