Extra!, June 6

The Rocky

Friday, June 6, 2008

CHILLING OUT

Here's a tidbit dear to Extra's technogeek soul: Colorado State University has installed a new antenna to sharpen the resolution of one of the world's most advanced weather instruments, the CSU-CHILL radar. Housed inside an inflatable dome, the improved radar is said to be able to detect a single hailstone in the atmosphere at a range of 10 miles. Extra! assumes the facility has had a lot to look at lately.

* History: The original CHILL radar was assembled in 1970 by the University of Chicago and the Illinois State Water Survey, which is where the radar gets its name. It was moved to CSU in 1990.

* Antenna: When the antenna is looking straight up, the highest point of the antenna is approximately 50 feet above the ground. The antenna is made of aluminum and weighs nearly 6,000 pounds.

* Power: CHILL transmits a peak power of 1 million watts.

chill.colostate.edu