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Aerial view of the site of the Sunspot Solar Observatory on the Sacramento Peak in New Mexico. Sunspots will be reopened on Monday (17 September) after being closed for 10 days while the authorities were investigating criminal activities.
Credit: National Solar Observatory / NSF
It was not extraterrestrials, nor a catastrophic solar flare.
No, the Solar Sunspot Observatory – a national solar observatory located on the heights of Sacramento Peak in New Mexico – has been closed for the past 10 days due to a criminal investigation.
"AURA has cooperated with an ongoing investigation into law enforcement regarding criminal activities that occurred in Sacramento Peak," AURA officials said in a statement Sunday, Sept. 16. "During this period, we were concerned that a suspect participating in the investigation posed a threat to the safety of local staff and residents, which is why AURA temporarily left the premises and stopped working. scientific activities there. "
But things are about to return to normal.
"In light of recent developments in the investigation, we determined that there was no risk to the staff, and the Sunspot Solar Observatory is resuming its activities to September 17th, "the statement added.
AURA officials had previously cited a "security problem" as the cause of the closure (which also affected a nearby post office) but had not specified. The FBI was apparently involved but was guarding just about everyone, including local law enforcement, in ignorance of what was happening.
As often, rumors rushed to fill the void without information. The speculations ranged from ridiculous (that the government wanted to crush the news of an extraterrestrial life detection or a destructive solar flare from civilization) to the plausible ones (that some bad actors had installed espionage gear on the White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Base).
This last explanation can still be at stake; AURA has not revealed the nature of the criminal activity being investigated.
"We recognize that the lack of communication during the vacancy of the facility was disturbing and frustrating for some," AURA's press release added Sunday. "However, our desire to provide additional information had to be weighed against the risk that, if it was widespread at the time, the news would alert the suspect and hinder the investigation of the police.
The solar sunspot observatory was established in 1947. Its main focus is the Dunn Solar Telescope, completed in 1969, which helps researchers better understand the sun, the solar activity and its effects on the Earth.
Nine representatives from the State University of New Mexico and AURA are working at the observatory, AURA officials said.
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @ michaeldwall and Google+. follow us @ Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
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