This might be a stupid question...

[Mav359]

Why are all the Sky Pod OBS white???

They look great and there usefulness goes without saying but they stick out like a sore thumb. Surely a black or deep green to hide them away would be better?

Am i missing something?

[steppenwolf]

White is best for reflecting heat during the day so the gear doesn't heat up (a bad thing!) - black has the opposite effect. Some manufacturers do supply green domes but somehow, white just looks right IMHO!

[Mr Spock]

Yeah, the white is practical, but they look cool in white anyway.

[Jimmy Stix]

In 2008, me and my wife visited La Palma in The Canary Islands and went up to the lip of The Caldera De Taburiente where the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory is located.

Some of the domes up there are white, some are silver but I felt that their construction and operation was done as sympathetically as possible. They are very careful to keep all areas clean and minimise the impact on the landscape and there are teams from the park service up there permanantly controlling and monitoring visitors.

The views from the top were sensational especially looking down the island through the Caldera which is a protected area of woodland and steep cliffs. I felt that the domes did not seriously impact on the beauty of the place and being above the clouds was a magic experience. I recommend it to anyone if you visit La Palma, which out of the 3 we have been to (Lanzorote, Gran Canaria and there) was my favourite. It's much greener and much quieter and stunning to drive around.

Check it out on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roque_de_los_Muchachos_Observatory