HONOLULU — Officials from a Big Island astronomical observatory say they have discovered an oil leak from the hydraulic system supporting one of their telescopes.
HONOLULU — Officials from a Big Island astronomical observatory say they have discovered an oil leak from the hydraulic system supporting one of their telescopes.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports officials from the W.M. Keck Observatory notified the state Department of Health of the leak on Monday, even though it was detected in April.
Hilton Lewis, the observatory’s director, says they were slow to launch a full investigation.
Chief of Operations Richard Matsuda says the telescope’s hydraulic system has a total capacity of 550 gallons (2,082 liters) of oil and is topped off with fresh oil as needed.
It’s unknown how much oil was leaked, but officials have found no obvious dripping or pouring and say the leak appears to be small.
The observatory is located near the summit of Mauna Kea.
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Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, http://www.staradvertiser.com
