National Solar Observatory, USPS office in Sunspot, NM evacuated for 'safety reasons'

a reply to: TruthJava

Where is the press and media? this is where you want somebody asking questions. Its probably benign but all the subterfuge
for a Solar Observatory? Dont these places have a spokes person and if not who's the head hancho isnt it just scientists. If they are just moving just say its closed for maintenance instead of the wide ranging security reasons.

from Soho

ANNOUNCEMENT: We are updating the code infrastructure that provides access to SOHO data, images and movies. We expect the work to take several weeks. In the meantime, you can access the SOHO Archive Catalog here and current solar data images here.

Checked this site earlier today and while the images wouldn't load there was no announcement, now there is just curious timing?

sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov...

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

Not to mention evacuate the whole place...

That'd be like getting adware on your computer that's chatting with an enemy state, and having the FBI clear out half your town, your house, and everybody else, just to nab a computer.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

And bring in a Black Hawk!

originally posted by: LookingAtMars
a reply to: DexterRiley

Why put a router or server that provides Internet services to the observatory where a bunch of no-need-to-know employees would have access to it?

The only thing I can think of is that possibly the PO is where the government's local high speed hub is located. That's the way we used to install campus-wide cable plants year ago. We would have secondary hubs located in out-of-way locations within geographically convenient buildings.

Also, a lot of government buildings built during the cold war have Civil Defense shelters. Many of which has fallen into disuse. That's a perfect location to hide an intelligence operation's equipment.

-dex

I dont understand why they would be moving? According to their own website they just completed and opened their giftshop last year. They also, if i rear correctly, just finished a new observatory of some type As well. The website also states that this location produces some of the clearest pictures of the sun ANYWHERE on the earth... Reading through their official website, other than the notice of unexpected closure, there seems to be absolutely no reason to close or move. Why would they invest so much time/ money in upgrades in the past few years just to pack up and move away? This whole situation is extremely bizarre. Defi itely will be following this thread. So great to see the type of material on ATS that brought me here to begin with instead of the magacult BS that has taken over the site for the last year or so. S+F !

Wow, interesting thread!

Time allowed me to read ‘till page 4.

Where are we now? Any updates or we still gonna be hit by an asteroid and/or spaceship?



Just found more information that reinforces my suspicions. They’ve found aliens. Just kidding. Or am I not?

A spokesman for the Otero County Sheriff's Office said they are not involved in the investigation.

A post office in the area has also been shut down.

"Right now, what we're told is that they've temporarily evacuated the area. We haven't been told why or when that expires," said Rod Spurgeon, a spokesman with the USPS.

Come on. How do you close an USPS office and do not state the reason.

KVIA El Paso

This whole situation really does stink.

A little more info about "umbra" that may have something to do with this story, though. The umbra of a sunspot is the center, darkest part of the spot. The outer, less dense part of the sunspot is called the preumbra. Since this is the Sunspot Observatory and has been used to study sunspots, it's possible the "Umbra" on the sign has less to do with top secret classification and more to do with it's actual work.

Just some info I had to add to the conversation. Of course, it could be a top secret classification as well as what they're studying. Or just a cover for something else.

originally posted by: itswhatev
I dont understand why they are moving? According to their own website they just completed and opened their giftshop last year. They also, if i rear correctly, just finished a new observatory of some type As well. The website also states that this location produces some of the clearest pictures of the sun ANYWHERE on the earth... Reading through their official website, other than the notice of unexpected closure, there seems to be absolutely no reason to close or move. Why would they invest so much time/ money in upgrades in the past few years just to pack up and move away? This whole situation is extremely bizarre. Defi itely will be following this thread. So great to see the type of material on ATS that brought me here to begin with instead of the magacult BS

that has taken over the site for the last year or so. S+F !

Has it been confirmed they really are moving? Did I miss something or is it being assumed they are moving from this one post?

I just got a call back from the Cloudcroft radio station and the entire facility is being moved to AZ and Calif. Staff has already moved. Is it true? idk....

And if it is true who was evacuated if they already moved?

And this is not a Dept. Of Defense issue ( anymore ) why the feds?

The Sunspot Solar Observatory is located in Sunspot, New Mexico and is part of the Lincoln National Forest on the western edge of the Sacramento Mountains. The ~250 acres (100 ha) area is located on National Forest Service lands, managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Lincoln National Forest, and the Sacramento Ranger District. Established by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) via a Memorandum of Agreement with the USFS in 1950, the facility was transferred to NSF in 1976. NSF and the USFS executed a land use agreement (1980) to formalize this transfer and the continued use of the land for the NSO. It was later known as the Sacramento Peak Observatory, and as one site of the National Solar Observatory (NSO). In 2018, the scientific research and public outreach at the Observatory was taken over by New Mexico State University. The grounds of the observatory are open to the public all year round.

How soon can we file for FOIA😆
It's drawing to much attention. And yes, where is the spokesman?

Edit: lay of the land if anybody is interested.
32.7861617, -105.8174318

a reply to: DexterRiley

Except that this town isn't all that old. It was built around the DST:

The Dunn Solar Telescope is a unique vertical-axis solar telescope, in Sunspot, New Mexico located at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico. It is the main telescope at the Sunspot Solar Observatory, operated by New Mexico State University in partnership with the National Solar Observatory through funding by the National Science Foundation,[1] the state of New Mexico and private funds from other partners. The Dunn Solar Telescope specializes in high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy to provide astrophysicists worldwide to obtain a better understanding of how the Sun affects the Earth. Completed in 1969, it was upgraded with high-order adaptive optics in 2004 and remains a highly versatile astrophysical observatory which serves as an important test platform for developing new instrumentation and technologies.

Interestingly enough, this installation does have an underground component:

More than half the entire building is underground – the tower extends 136 feet above ground and 220 feet below ground. A vertical vacuum tube is enclosed within the concrete tower with 3-foot-thick walls. An entrance window at the top of the tower, and two mirrors, reflect sunlight down the vacuum tube where it is reflected off the 64 inches primary mirror. The primary mirror acts to focus the light, and sends it back up to ground level, where it exits the vacuum tube on the optical benches inside the building. The interior vacuum tube of more than 200 tons is suspended by a bearing that contains 8 to 10 metric tons of mercury. This bearing allowing the entire 200 ton vacuum tune to be rotate, compensating for the apparent rotation of the image as the Sun rises into the sky.

The tower telescope was originally dedicated on October 15, 1969 and renamed in 1998[14] after Richard B. Dunn [15]. A plaque at the facility reads: "Named in honor of one of solar astronomy's most creative instrument builders, this vacuum tower telescope is the masterpiece of Richard B. Dunn's long scientific career at Sacramento Peak Observatory" (1998). Construction of the vacuum tower used for the DST significantly impacted future solar instruments: So sharp were the images formed from this type of solar telescope, that almost every large solar telescope built since then has been based on the vacuum tower concept"

There are other instruments and observatories in town, but the whole place is all centered around the science done at these installations. There is not much else in town:

a reply to: LookingAtMars


I dont believe anything has been confirmed, but that was an "explanation" being floated around and I was just expressing my doubt as to the likelihood of it being true. I guess I could have worded my post better, it just doesnt seem like a logical answer to any of this. To my knowledge as of me writing this nothing has really been confirmed in regards to the activity, and all of this is just speculation.

It is interesting that SOHO is currently down for updates that will take " a few weeks" as well , though it absolutely could be an unrelated coincidence.

Since the site seems to be run by NMSU, I wonder if contacted would they be able to provide any information as to what's going on. If it were JUST this location being closed I dont think it would be so curious... But with alleged FBI involvement, evacuations of people and the Post Office, and little other information released since other than a "security issue" ... it sure is interesting

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

Can't upload pics due to ATS issues.. are you able to back out a wee bit to show Apache Point. And the towers at Penny's Peak to the north?

Towers Penny's Peak
32.8077100, -105.7994748

originally posted by: itswhatev
I dont understand why they are moving? According to their own website they just completed and opened their giftshop last year. They also, if i rear correctly, just finished a new observatory of some type As well. The website also states that this location produces some of the clearest pictures of the sun ANYWHERE on the earth... Reading through their official website, other than the notice of unexpected closure, there seems to be absolutely no reason to close or move. Why would they invest so much time/ money in upgrades in the past few years just to pack up and move away? This whole situation is extremely bizarre. Defi itely will be following this thread. So great to see the type of material on ATS that brought me here to begin with instead of the magacult BS

that has taken over the site for the last year or so. S+F !

Exactly why I joined ATS too, great thread
Its the wording they used evacuated just say relocating if its moving and if its for safety reasons, whats the exact safety concerns cause sorry your perimeter doesnt look secure. Especially when government trust is being tested they ought to be as transparent as possible. LOL even if there is a threat just say moving and there is way less scrutinization going on. Everybody keep checking on this doubt it is anything but how they presented it, they could spout the truth and it would be difficult to swallow.


evacuate
[ih-vak-yoo-eyt]
ExamplesWord Origin
See more synonyms for evacuate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), e·vac·u·at·ed, e·vac·u·at·ing.
to leave empty; vacate.
to remove (persons or things) from a place, as a dangerous place or disaster area, for reasons of safety or protection:
to evacuate the inhabitants of towns in the path of a flood.
to remove persons from (a city, town, building, area, etc.) for reasons of safety:
to evacuate the embassy after a bomb threat.

a reply to: Bigburgh

Not sure how well it will show on this pic, I've shut my PC down and am posting this from my phone:



Penny's Peak is near the hairpin turn and Apache point is just south of town.

Satellites were taken down the other day and now we have what could well be a NWO sat relay site using old forgotten equipment. Someone wanted the cache and moved quickly.

That is my read of the situation.

Join the dots.

P

Mercury is heavy stuff and does not easily combine with things, however it can get caught up in an amalgam of particulates it comes in contact with. Like a tumbleweed, a heavy one that can move like an amoeba.

I wonder if the mercury got loose on a large incline (that road) and is either moving down that road, or just downward, into the environment. HazMat gear might not be required and they are not using them it seems.

a reply to: itswhatev

No, it was not directed at you, in fact your post made me question the "they are moving", so thank you.

I was just checking Google Earth and it looks like all images after 2013 have the site covered up by clouds.

originally posted by: jadedANDcynical
a reply to: Bigburgh

Not sure how well it will show on this pic, I've shut my PC down and am posting this from my phone:

Penny's Peak is near the hairpin turn and Apache point is just south of town.

Perfectly 🍻👏👏👏
Apache is 0.5 miles and the tower's in question to to north is under a mile. The tower's are where the Blackhawk was..

Thank you😊

a reply to: putnam6

See the whole "safety concern" doesnt really jive with me either for 2 main reasons. 1) why so vague about what those concerns are. While isolated, there is certainly people relatively close by. Be it camp grounds, the National park, or cloudcroft (which I had the pleasure of driving through on accident a few years ago when traveling through NM. If anyone has the chance it really is a charming little town worth a stop) the 2nd reason being: why not involve local law enforcement? Especially in a rural area like this, local law agencies are going to have an advantage simply by knowing both the locals as well as the area. That seems like something that would be invaluable in a "security threat" situation in such a small rural town

If it were an issue with mercury breaking it's containment wouldn't hazmat be involved instead of the FBI? Or even if not an environmental clean up agency (given the pitiful state of our EPA currently) surely there would be a different agency to respond vs the FBI, I'm sure that would not be a scenario best handled by them nor the best use of their time.

If the little information we have seen is correct, then something truly strange is going on.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

That's a lot of interesting information about the observatory. There is no way in hell they will move that solar telescope. It's just too big: 200 ton tube, 8' wide mirror, 10 metric tons of Mercury. And it makes no sense to disassemble it if it's still functional.

I'm not sure when they stopped building CD shelters. I know they were still doing it in the 1950's and early 1960's. But, I think by the mid 1970's it was no longer a high priority.

At one school that I attended, built in the 1950's, the arts and industrial arts buildings were separate from the main building. But the Civil Defense areas were all connected with underground passages. By the time I attended the school in the mid 1970's the tunnels were basically abandoned and choked with cobwebs.

However, I noticed from the map that the PO is within 500 feet of the observatory. That's actually within wireless range. Maybe they evacuated a geographical zone that was within easy reach of a compromised access point or receiver.

Another reason that the FBI may have wanted to quickly evacuate a facility is if they suspected a bad actor was present and abusing their systems for nefarious purposes. By quickly isolating the staff from their equipment they can head off any efforts by said bad actors to destroy evidence.

-dex