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No evil Mill Pond dragon found yet The big pump. its pipe and pontoons seen above. many not be uncovering any treasure trove in the depths of Richmond Hill’s Mill Pond. But it is creating a -, -,__, _ "w- Owen'que new Dorn stars and the Dr. MacRae is one of four instailedittvotelescopesfihéfliéritish E study of quasars, which have infra- Canadians on the board of directors are presently considering the site. . _ . . . “"‘°'° "' “W” 5 red rays but can only be observed of the Canada-France-Hawaii NASA, 3 us. agency, already has A scale model of the 140 mch telescope that Will be and Will be used for research in Infra red astronomy 5 {romadry s:te”,explamed Dr. Belle Telescope Corporation, a company one telescope there and is con- installed at Mauna Kea in 1978. This telescope is a and spectroscopy. E 330118, a DFOfQSSOP at the UmVBr- set up to supervise the building of sidering a second one. joint venture project between Canada and France lllllllllllllIllllllllllIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIllllIllIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllIIIIIHIIIIHIIIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIllIIllIIllIllllllllllllllllllllIIIllIllIIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIll||lllllIllIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll||llI||Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllfllllllll||lllllIllllIlllllllllllllllllllllll HIIIIIIIIIIllllllI]lIIIIll]lIIlllllmlllllllllllllllIIllIllllIllIllllllllllllllllllllllllllIIlIIIIlIlIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIllllllllllllllllllllI|ll||lIIlllllIllllllllllllllllllllllllll IllllllllllllllIII“llllllllllllllllllllllIllllllllllHIIIllllllIlllllllllll|lllllll|lll||llulllllMIMIHHHIIHHIIIIHE Dunlap astronomers build telescape in Hawaii “The site permits the study of cold objects like new born stars and the study of quasars, which have infra- red rays but can only be observed from a dry site", explained Dr. Rene Racine, a professor at the Univer- The lack of humidity at the summit will permit extensive work in the field of infra-red astronomy. Cloud free site The peak of Mauna Kea is almost cloud free. In fact, when compared to other observing sites, Mauna Kea has .the greatest number of viewing nights, or as the astronomers refer to them, photometric nights. At the Dunlop Observatory, the viewing hours range between 1000 to 1200 hours per year‘ while at Mauna Kea, the average is over 2500 hours. It may take a day or two at the living quarters 4000 feet below before the astronomer is ready to begin his work at the site. The observing site is set 14,000 feet above sea level. The location provides the ultimate in at- mospheric conditions and although it may sound like a nice place to visit, astronomers have experienced some difficulty getting used to the height. Upon first arriving at the site, directly from sea level, the visitors may experience a certain light- headedness. When the telescope opens in 1978, the star gazing scientists will be able to take full advantage of a virtual astronomer's paradise. The plan is a Canadian joint venture with France to install one of the world's largest telescopes atop the presumed extinct volcano, Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The scientists who inhabit the Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill are trying to get closer to the sky. ' Chief Optician Roy Dancey (at the top of the photograph), checks the final figure of the HO inch mirror that will be installed in the Mauna Kea telescope in Hawaii. The By Denise Romberg The structure will rise 100 feet above the site and is designed to withstand winds which can reach ub to 100 miles an hour at the moun~ tain‘s peak. “The external shell, which we call the dome, is being constructed under Canadian auspices". ex- plained Dr. Donald MacRae, Director of the Dunlap Observatory. The University of Hawaii has a 15 percent interest in the project since they supplied the water and the hydro, plus the road that winds to the top of the mountain. Hence, Canada and France will share the other 85 percent of the viewing hours at the site. National project The telescope at Mauna Kea became a national project a few years ago when Canada entered an agreement with France to coâ€" operate in the field of science. At the time of the agreement. they had no specific project in mind but later the French approached Canada to consider the $18 million joint venture atop Mauna Kea. sity of Toronto’s Department. Astronomy Dr. Racine has been working on the instrumentation level of the telescope in Mauna Kea. One area of hi: intnrnct i: the nhntnmptrin the Mauna Kea telescope. Going firstclass Dr. MacRae talked about what the site at Mauna Kea means. both to the Dunlap Observatory and to Canada. From his office at the Dunlap Observatory he explains the plight of the modern scientist. Dr. Racine has been working on the instrumentation level of the telescope in Mauna Kea. One area of his interest is the photometric equipment that will be used to measure the brightness and color of stars. “You are never satisfied as an astronomer. You always want a bigger telescope to see fainter stars“. treasure of a rejuvenated, revitalized beauty spot for the residents of this area. When the remedial work is done this fall and the water creeps back to its normal mirror is two feet thick and weighs 2Y2 tons. Above, opticians are engaged in the final grinding and polishing of the rear surface of the mirror ‘at the Dominion The University of’ Hawaii has installed vtwo telescopes. the British are rpfesently considering the site. The project will not be the first on the top of Mauna Kea. “The first part of that is very course grinding, or curve generation and that phase is just about over now. They’re just about to begin the grinding and polishing stage which is expected to last for a good two years”. There some of the best Opticians in the world have been preparing the surface of the mirror which measures 140 inches at its diameter. 3-year polish “They started grinding the front surface in October of 1974, and they hope to finish in September of 1977. The grinding and polishing takes three years; essentially”, said Dr. MacRae. He explained thé’Tnifi‘dr for the telescope is also being prepared in Canada at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria, British Columbia. “Although originally they were large telescopes by world standards. they are no longer large telescopes and that means if we are to do first class astronomy we must have access to a first class telescope, by world standards, and a first class site, by world standards. And that's what we’re going to get in Hawaii as a result of this big telescope." “In Canada at the present time we have two major telescopes, one in British Columbia and one here. They are essentially the same size." 1‘5!" Astrophysical Observatory in British Columbia. level. fish can swim, ducks and geese can frolic, and children can sail their toy boats in an idyllic setting. (Dominion AsOrophysical Observatory photo) Photo by Hogs) “Back about ‘21, when the pond had clean water, they had a pump house (near the south side of the pond)," he said. “But the actual pond water got too warm in the summer, so they ran some Luckily they have not been quite big enough to threaten the peace. Allan Bales, who has lived beside the pond for more than 50 years, can ac- count for both discoveries. Two major finds to date are a wagon wheel and some wooden pipe. Thus far, the team of dredgers has not disturbed the sleep of a terrible monster that might destroy the town, as in an old Boris Karloff movie. Snapping turtles But according to David Hamilton, the town‘s director of parks and recreation, the dredgers have aroused several mean Snapping Turtles. Dr. Rene Racine. a staff member at the Dunlop 0b- servatory is involved with the The plan is to take_four to five feet of yucky stuff off the pond's bottom â€"â€" as though in preparation for a giant diaper change. No, probably there is nothing so news-worthy hiding beneath the town's popular attraction. By Michael Tenant What evil lurks in the murky depths of Richmond Hill’s Mill Pond? But the question is a fascinating one, particularly for all the hapless young anglers who have lost hooks and lines there each year. Pirate treasure? Missing persons? A bottomless hole? For the curious, the dredging project. now nearing completion, provides a certain satisfaction. ' comnmmty news [It il‘ihrral Wednesday, August 20, 1975 The pipe looks large enough to ac- commodate a basket ball. Though Mr. Bales does not think there is anything much on the bottom, Mr. Hamilton believes there could be a “a few items." The town's people of years gone by may not have been so environment- conscious as today, he said. There is just nd telling for sure we can do is watch and wait. Occasionally a clanking noise can be heard in the pipe and a black lump is spewn out, along with the thick black liquid from the bottom. Muddy feast To the ducks at the pond, it makes no difference what is down on the bottom. They seem to enjoy swimming in the current created by the output stream or hunting for a meal in the smorgasbord of mud; A large pump on a raft, working in the centre of the pond. sucks up the sediment from the bottom and forces it through a large pipe to the north end. It is known an old furnace from the town hall also found a resting place there, but so far has not come to light although there have been other finds besides mud and the typical plant growth found in ponds. As for the wheel, Mr. Bales said that in the days the wagon was used there was no dam at the south end and the north end was high and dry. Someone could have abandoned a wagon on the shore of the stream where it was covered when the water level rose, he said. pipe to the stream at the north end.” Section C All