Historic Lick Observatory Faces Long Road to Recovery After Christmas Storm

The Christmas storm that pummeled the Bay Area also badly damaged the South Bay’s Lick Observatory, causing the worst destruction the beloved scientific institution has experienced in more than a century.

The powerful winter storm tore across Mount Hamilton in the early hours of Dec. 25, with steady winds reaching 100 mph and gusting up to 114 mph.

The force ripped half the shutter off the dome of Lick Observatory’s Great Refractor — a 140-year-old telescope that was once the most powerful in the world and remains the heart of the observatory’s public outreach.

After the 2- to 3-ton metal shutter was torn free, it crashed onto the roof of the main building, crushing support beams and leaving the telescope’s precision lenses and electrical systems exposed to rain and wind.

Bruce Macintosh, director of the University of California Observatories, said that the impact was so intense it registered on the observatory’s seismograph, allowing staff to pinpoint the exact moment the shutter fell: 3:16 a.m.

Thankfully, no one was hurt. Many staff who live on the mountain were off duty, and the building was empty at the time. While the historic refractor appears structurally intact, heavy rain pelted it for hours before crews could put emergency protections in place.

The storm did not affect Lick’s research telescopes, located about a mile away on the other side of the mountain, and scientists were able to resume observations within days. But the damage effectively shut down the observatory’s public education and outreach programs, a core part of Lick’s mission.

In the storm’s aftermath, staff moved quickly despite dangerous conditions, Macintosh said, describing their response as “heroic.” The observatory’s new superintendent, Jamie Erickson, who lives on Mount Hamilton with his family, joined other staff members Christmas morning to wrap the telescope in plastic tarp and shovel water out of the dome. Their efforts limited further damage.

The winds subsided by Dec. 27, the observatory brought in a crane to remove the fallen shutter. Contractors patched holes in the roof of the main building. They constructed a temporary wooden-and-plastic structure inside the dome to divert rainwater from the historic wooden floor below. The next critical step — sealing the open gap in the dome — has not yet been completed and will require several consecutive days without rain or high winds.

The road to recovery remains uncertain. “We don’t know if the piece that landed on the roof is bent too badly to be reused,” Macintosh said. If a new shutter must be built, repairs could take nine months or more, likely extending into next summer. Insurance will cover part of the cost, but the observatory is also seeking donations and volunteer support to help sustain programs and staff.

“Restoring the dome will be a long process, measured in months, not weeks. But we know why this work matters, and we are committed to bringing people back to the experience of awe that the Great Refractor has inspired for generations,” said Matthew Shetone, deputy director of the University of California Observatories, in a statement.

2026 marks the 150th anniversary of Lick Observatory’s founding — a milestone that was supposed to be celebrated with expanded public events. Instead, staff are reimagining outreach through temporary exhibits, portable telescopes and possible programs off the mountain, while continuing to push forward with cutting-edge research.

For many in the Bay Area, Lick Observatory is deeply treasured. It’s a place where generations have viewed the wonders of the night sky through historic lenses, “something they’ve only ever seen in books before, like moons of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn or clusters of stars,” Macintosh said.

Community members have flooded the observatory’s Facebook page with memories of star parties, lectures and winter drives up Mount Hamilton. “My family and I have many great memories of looking through the telescopes, lectures and concerts at Lick,” David Woodard wrote. “So sorry this happened. Glad to hear repairs are underway. The observatory is special to so many of us,” wrote another commentator, Michelle Kaye Fitzgerald.

That connection is what makes the damage especially painful for those who work there.

“Sharing the wonders of the universe with the public is really a lot of what keeps us going,” Macintosh said. “The fact that our unique capability to do that has been damaged is just very hard to wake up in the morning and cope with. But we’re going to fix it one way or another.”

Lick Observatory remains closed until further notice. Check their website for the latest updates.