Snow

After heavy snow the access road to the NOT is the last to be cleaned. We looked in to the possibility of purchasing a snow blower type machine to clear snow and improve the accessibility to the NOT during such periods. This was reviewed by the ORM safety committee which concluded that the type of machines considered do not function well with the type of icy snow that occurs at the observatory so it was decided not to purchase these machines.

The main objective considering this option was to potentially limit the time that the especially more isolated telescopes like the NOT are not accessible after a snow storm. It was agreed that on future occasions the ORM administration will consider renting additional equipment at an earlier stage, and/or inform the telescopes that they might consider to do this themselves, to limit the time that telescopes can not be accessed. It was also noted that the new truck that will have to be purchased for common services at the observatory in the coming years is expected to improve the capabilities at the observatory to remove snow.