Paul Wallich wrote:
>
> A friend/colleague worked briefly at Lick Observtory in northern CA, where
> a generation or so back one or their peons went crazy, took a .45 into
> the prime focus cage and started shooting at the main mirror. Not only
> didn't the mirror crack (foot-thick annealed glass is pretty close to armor
> plate) but after they painted the little holes black some people claimed
> the seeing had actually improved slightly.
>
Not quite as insane as this story, but another demonstration of how much
damage you can do to optics: apparently the 200 inch Hale telescope on
Mt. Palomar has a roughly dinnerplate-sized chunk missing where a
workman dropped a hammer on it many years ago.
Roger
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