With glare of the sun shining through the roof making fly balls difficult to track during day games, the clear plastic panes of the Astrodome’s ceiling are painted at a cost of $20,000. The decision to cover the roof, which reduces the ambient lighting by 40%, prevents the ballpark’s natural grass from growing and will lead to the use of Astroturf next season.

With glare of the sun shining through the roof making fly balls difficult to track during day games, the clear plastic panes of the Astrodome’s ceiling are painted at a cost of $20,000. The decision to cover the roof, which reduces the ambient lighting by 40%, prevents the ballpark’s natural grass from growing and will lead to the use of Astroturf next season.