I’ve always had an interest in astronomy since I was a kid and had a cheap department store telescope.  It’s been in my mind this week, as I’ve seen several astronomy-related stories come up (I’ll put up some links in a followup post).  As I was browsing the offerings from Canon Creative Park, this neat papercraft of the Subaru Telescope, with scope and dome, caught my eye.  According to the site:

Located on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the National Astronomical Observatory in Japan began astronomical observations in 1999.  At an altitude of 4,200 m (13,779 ft), a dry atmosphere and low atmospheric pressure make the summit of Mauna Kea one of the world’s best places for astronomical observations.

Based on the results of water flow tests, the Subaru Telescope was designed to allow efficient discharge of internal heat without taking in the outside air.  It features a dome with a distinctive cylindrical shape.

You can download the model for A4 paper and for US letter.  The instructions are also available on A4 paper and US letter.  More information and photographs are available on the Canon Creative Park website (if you can put up with all the Flash).