The Sheriff’s Department is investigating vandalism and a burglary at Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center on Utah Trail in Twentynine Palms. Volunteers arrived at the site Wednesday morning to discover that suspects had vandalized the planet markers and stolen the solar orb from the walkable model of the solar system, called an Orrery. The educational exhibit shows the orbits of the four inner planets that are true to scale and placed in new positions every few days to show their relationships to the sun and the neighboring planets. Ann Congdon from Sky’s the Limit said each element in the Orrery was created by hand and was a donation from local artists and craftsmen. Anyone with information should call the Sheriff’s Department at 760-366-4175.
