National Solar Observatory

National Solar Observatory
Established 1952 (1952)
Research type basic
Field of research
 solar physics
Director Valentin M. Pillet
Staff around 150
Address 3665 Discovery Drive, 3rd Floor, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA
Location Boulder, Colorado, USA
40°00′42″N 105°14′44″W / 40.0117201°N 105.2454644°W / 40.0117201; -105.2454644
Affiliations University of Colorado Boulder
Operating agency
 AURA, NSF
Website www.nso.edu

The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is a United States public research institute to advance the knowledge of the physics of the Sun. NSO studies the Sun both as an astronomical object and as the dominant external influence on Earth. NSO is headquartered in Boulder and operated facilities at two locations, at Sacramento Peak near Sunspot in New Mexico, and at Kitt Peak in Arizona until the end of fiscal year 2017. The institute is constructing the 4-meter Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in the Haleakala Observatory on the island of Maui.

NSO provides its observations to the scientific community. It operates facilities, develops advanced instrumentation both in-house and through partnerships, conducts solar research, and carries out educational and public outreach.

Visiting the observatories

The National Solar Observatory HQ is located on the campus of the University of Colorado, Boulder. It also has some staff on Sacramento Peak, where visitors are welcome during the daytime. The observatory lies in New Mexico at the southern end of NM Scenic Byway 6563, about 18 miles (by car) south of Cloudcroft (on NM 82), and 40 miles southeast (by car) from Alamogordo (on NM 70 and 54), in the village of Sunspot inside of the Lincoln National Forest. Sunspot is an unincorporated community in the Sacramento Mountains in Otero County.The nearby nighttime observatory, Apache Point Observatory, is not open to the public.

Telescopes operated by the observatory

Sacramento Peak

Kitt Peak

Global

History

The Sacramento Peak facilities are located in Sunspot, New Mexico. The site's name was chosen by the late James C. Sadler, (1920–2005), an internationally noted meteorologist and professor at The University of Hawaii, formerly with the United States Air Force on assignment during the early inception of the observatory.[1]

For the Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, NSO enlisted the cooperation of various groups in the Citizen CATE (Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse) experiment to set up more than 60 identical telescopes along the eclipse path, to produce 90 continuous minutes of images, 10 seconds apart, of the Sun's inner corona. This was to provide a clearer understanding of solar plumes and other transient phenomena.[2]

Temporary closure

On September 6, 2018, AURA voluntarily closed the solar observatory and post office at Sunspot temporarily for undisclosed 'security reasons.'[3][4] On September 17, 2018 it re-opened, following an investigation into criminal activity.[5] News reports on September 19, 2018 indicated that closure was connected to a Federal investigation of alleged child pornography on a laptop computer owned by a contracted janitor.[6][7] Ensuing of safety concerns over his "bizarre" and "frantic" behavior prompted the closure of the facility.[8] On Sept 20, 2018 the FBI explained that it was due to a pornography investigation.[9] During the course of the investigation, AURA terminated the contract to clean the facility.[10][11] This was confirmed in a unsealed affadivit.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Zirker, J. B. (1998). "The Sacramento Peak Observatory". Solar Physics (182). pp. 1–19.
  2. ↑ Klotz, Irene. "Citizen scientists will take to the field for U.S. eclipse". U.S. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
  3. ↑ Aguayo, Christina (2018-09-11). "Closure of National Solar Observatory remains shrouded in mystery". KVIA. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  4. ↑ Reisen, Matthew (September 12, 2018). "Closure of NM solar observatory a mystery". Albuquerque Journal.
  5. ↑ New Mexico Solar Observatory Re-Opening Monday After Criminal Investigation
  6. ↑ "Federal search warrant debunks theories behind Sunspot Observatory closure". KRQE. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Child pornography reason behind Sunspot Observatory closure, according to court documents". KTSM.
  8. ↑ "Documents: Sunspot janitor told chief of 'serial killer in the area'". Las Cruces Sun News. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Mysterious solar observatory evacuation caused by a child porn investigation, FBI docs say". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  10. ↑ "New Mexico solar observatory: A child pornography investigation, not aliens, triggered the mysterious closure of the facility". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  11. ↑ "List of items seized by FBI in child porn case at Sunspot Observatory". KTSM-TV. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Warrant: Sunspot observatory closure linked to child porn". KVIA. Retrieved September 21, 2018.

Further reading

  • Britt, Robert Roy (December 8, 2006). "Scientists spot 'tsunami' on the sun". NBCNews.com.
  • Liebowitz, R. P. (2002). "Donald Menzel and the creation of the Sacramento Peak Observatory". Journal for the History of Astronomy. 33 (111). pp. 193–211. Bibcode:2002JHA....33..193L. ISSN 0021-8286. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
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