SkyPad
A Hilltop Observatory
Located in Mountain Park, New Mexico, SkyPad is a 20-foot-tall tower supporting a 12′ x 12′ elevated platform centered around a 5-foot diameter concrete cylinder that serves as a telescope mount.
The structure is constructed as a sundial in the tradition of the early 18th century Yantras of the Jantar Mantar observatories in Jaipur and Delhi, India. Aligned to the north celestial pole (Polaris), and with a stairway angled at the site’s latitude (33 degrees), the structure itself can be used as a sundial.
The Skypad Observatory, Mountain Park, New Mexico
Richard Jost
Architect
MASTER CONTRUCTION MANAGMENT, INC