The International Dark Sky Discovery Center invited the public to witness a major milestone in the construction of the new science center in Fountain Hills.
The dome for the Craig and Ruth Gimbel Hyperspace Planetarium was constructed at the site, but adjacent to the Discovery Center building. Once finished the dome had to be lifted into its final location by a crane.
The 38-ton dome is 39 feet in diameter and 36 feet in height. It required a one-million-pound crane with a lifting capacity greater than 50 tons. It took more than a half dozen semi-trucks to carry the counterweights that were eventually attached to the crane.
