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

a reply to: ToasterBorst

According to wiki, Apache Point Observatory is equipped with:

-The ARC echelle spectrometer (ARCES) uses a 2048 x 2048 pixel CCD and has a resolution of R~31,500.[6]
-The Double Imaging Spectrometer (DIS) is a low-resolution optical spectrometer.[7]
-The Near Infrared Camera/Fabry–Pérot Spectrometer (NICFPS) was developed at the University of Colorado. It uses a 1024x1024 H1RG HgCdTe infrared detector and a near-infrared Fabry–Pérot interferometer. It has many narrow band filters, including H2, [Fe II], and [SiVI]. It is unique among astronomical Fabry-Pérot devices in that it is cooled with liquid nitrogen.[8]
-The Seaver Prototype Imaging camera (SPIcam) is an optical imaging instrument with a 2048x2048 pixel CCD.[9]
TripleSpec (Tspec) is a near infrared spectrograph which provides continuous wavelength coverage over the range 0.94-2.46 µm at moderate resolution (R~3500, depending on the choice of slit)

a reply to: wylekat

I'd believe an organism before a constructed ship feeding off the sun, and if you're right the critters have certainly bellied up to an all you can eat buffet!

originally posted by: Deetermined
Here's something interesting. I found an article a moment ago where AURA made a statement that they were going to use this down time to go through their data logs over the last two months. Then I came across another article where someone in the comment section had this to say...

It’s an accidental breach of SIGINT security, the sensors this facility uses accidentally intercepted US military signals without knowing it and someone found out. The FBI was sent in to scrub the data and find out how it was done so either the signals or equipment can be modified. The government does not want the data in the open for intercept and analysts by enemy states.

The official story will be that a rival state was trying to steal science and technical secrets by hacking into research facilities. One of those hacks was traced to this facility and the FBI showed up to investigate. In a few days there will be an all clear with a stipulation that the FBI is able to leave software or a computer to scan network traffic to see if it happens again. Its a front to keep tabs.

gizmodo.com...

That is interesting but personally i doubt it. Military secrets travel on a system that erodes quickly and leaves no chance for decryption. Of coarse i could be confusing things here but from what i learned in the past it would take a whole team working in real time to even get a small glimpse at info. If that is the case then they would easily be able to find that group of people before any such decryption took place. It would be easier and cheaper to buy the secrets than to attempt decryption in real time.

a reply to: Pixieut

They upgraded the optics, too, so I agree with you 100%.

a reply to: Deetermined

People seem to like to present their theories as fact for some reason. I’m thinking that’s a theory, an interesting one no doubt, but various facets of that particular story have been discussed fairly heavily—though maybe not exactly like that.

Found this old PDF that might have some info about what use to go on there and the surrounding areas. Apparently sunspot observatory use to be apart of the Phillips Labratory project.

www.google.com...://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a285836.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjl482wqb3dAhXym-AKHf7UCfkQFjAnegQI ARAB&usg=AOvVaw0bj7Fq3CfKfBH1-r3aiwBN

Google (OLAO sunspot nm)it's a few links down. Can't get the link to work.


Phillips lab project managers handbook is name of link

originally posted by: caterpillage
Here's an example of the type of pics the Dunn does, this one is not from the Dunn, but I like it cause it scales the United States in for a scale comparison.

I believe credit for the pic goes to Sweden.

Well if something was seen they could see it pretty good with that.

a reply to: KeithCooper

"could not even return to get their pets"

I don't think any pets were left to die. They may not have been able to take them to hotels but no way I believe they are just left up there.
Also, it would seem every worker there would be online and chatting I have seen one and two people who live in the area, not Sunspot. Maybe I didn't look hard enough but they are the witnesses and I would think they would be on everyone's radar.

originally posted by: SeaWorthy
a reply to: KeithCooper

"could not even return to get their pets"

I don't think any pets were left to die. They may not have been able to take them to hotels but no way I believe they are just left up there.
Also, it would seem every worker there would be online and chatting I have seen one and two people who live in the area, not Sunspot. Maybe I didn't look hard enough but they are the witnesses and I would think they would be on everyone's radar.

Unless they've been forced to sign government NDAs.

originally posted by: howtonhawky

That is interesting but personally i doubt it. Military secrets travel on a system that erodes quickly and leaves no chance for decryption. Of coarse i could be confusing things here but from what i learned in the past it would take a whole team working in real time to even get a small glimpse at info. If that is the case then they would easily be able to find that group of people before any such decryption took place. It would be easier and cheaper to buy the secrets than to attempt decryption in real time.

Based on all the different ways people are communicating and intercepting information, I think it's very possible.

Need for multiple, coordinated receivers

First, atmospheric conditions, sunspots, the target's transmission schedule and antenna characteristics, and other factors create uncertainty that a given signal intercept sensor will be able to "hear" the signal of interest, even with a geographically fixed target and an opponent making no attempt to evade interception. Basic countermeasures against interception include frequent changing of radio frequency, polarization, and other transmission characteristics. An intercept aircraft could not get off the ground if it had to carry antennas and receivers for every possible frequency and signal type to deal with such countermeasures.

Second, locating the transmitter's position is usually part of SIGINT. Triangulation and more sophisticated radio location techniques, such as time of arrival methods, require multiple receiving points at different locations. These receivers send location-relevant information to a central point, or perhaps to a distributed system in which all participate, such that the information can be correlated and a location computed.

Intercept management
Modern SIGINT systems, therefore, have substantial communications among intercept platforms. Even if some platforms are clandestine, there is still a broadcast of information telling them where and how to look for signals.

en.wikipedia.org...

We don't know what kinds of receivers the observatory are using that might be picking up signals accidentally of their own.

originally posted by: Fiscal
a reply to: Deetermined

People seem to like to present their theories as fact for some reason. I’m thinking that’s a theory, an interesting one no doubt, but various facets of that particular story have been discussed fairly heavily—though maybe not exactly like that.

What makes it the most interesting is AURA making a statement about using the time that the observatory is closed to comb through their data log over previous months. That data is published through a New Mexico State University website for any researchers and scientists around the world that want to review it.

a reply to: Deetermined

Well you seem to be conflating military secrets with the solar observatories transmissions.

They are not they same.

What do you think the observatory would have that is top secret?

I think hacking the observatory would be easy compared to hacking the military.

As i said before it would be easier in either case to just find a professor at some university to get info from.

originally posted by: ToasterBorst
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Still hung up on the continued closure of post office w/ the publicity stunt angle, federal employees cannot just transfer locations on a whim; not to mention the potential implications of a scandal. To add to that, we now have paid private security and know that AURA offered to put up the 12 to 15 evacuees in hotels. The publicity stunt angle would actually be a conspiracy, implicating federal employees and AURA--that's a bit hardcore imo.

I read somewhere (sorry I didn’t save a link but I think it was either reddit or 4chan) that the post office is inside the perimeter of the area sealed off and also that the P.O. is attached to another building and is really just one small room. It would make sense that if the post office only serves the observatory and the four or five people who lived on the grounds that if the area is closed for however long, that the post office would be shuttered as well for however long the area is closed off. The next town over is probably handling whatever mail would be sent on to the small P.O that is closed.
To me, the post office closure seems the least interesting and enigmatic part of the whole thing, but maybe I’m wrong.

a reply to: Deetermined


Maybe they caught the signal of one of President Trumps Space Force ships

a reply to: howtonhawky

Maybe you misunderstood what the poster was implying. Here it is again...

It’s an accidental breach of SIGINT security, the sensors this facility uses accidentally intercepted US military signals without knowing it and someone found out. The FBI was sent in to scrub the data and find out how it was done so either the signals or equipment can be modified.

a reply to: Dumbdowned

covers about everything

The only thing I see missing here is why are they not beating the bushes with search crews and if they have everyone why not leave...main thought is why not just give a cover story day one so people go about their business and ignore them?

I was even thinking day one they dug too much under that mountain and made the whole thing unstable.
I am pretty sure the mountain is in a perfect place for tunneling and underground parts to a nearby base.

originally posted by: riiver

originally posted by: KeithCooper

originally posted by: that1lurker
a reply to: KeithCooper

Why do you think the Sheriff is lying? I'll have to go back in this thread and get caught up.

There is just no way in hell that a Sheriff would go on TV and appear like a total Andy Taylor without instruction to do so...acting as if He has no control or say or even curiosity about what is occuring in his jurisdiction..UNLESS it isnt his jurisdiction (espionage)(UFO crap) and He has been told to say nothing and appear confused..like every other principle in this saga...EVERYONE who SHOULD know a tidbit is acting like.."Oh well...it's strange isn't it..."...these people KNOW. they have just beeen instructed to say nothing yet. One of the reasons I believe it is not UFO related is because if it was, the FBI or someone would just make up[ some believable garbage for public consumption...which they haven't as yet, even under great media pressure...meaning there will probably be an announcment of what IS happening very soon.

This is what I find most perplexing about the entire thing--that they've let the wild speculation continue all this time and even make its way into the mainstream news. I simply cannot fathom why they haven't at least put out some kind of BS story to nip the whole thing in the bud, even if the truth of what happened is something they want to keep under wraps. Of all the things that don't make sense, that's what bothers me the most. Bizarre.

I have said this many times, it almost seems they WANT all the attention doesn't it!

This article has new updates (September 14 at 6:52 PM):
A solar observatory in New Mexico is evacuated for a week and the FBI is investigating. No one will say why.

Forgive me if this was posted. I tried to catch up on the 102 pages, and I don't "think" I saw it.

A few things to note, if everyone in the article is being truthful:

The security guards say that the "director and an assistant” are allowed in.

It's not aliens:

A spokeswoman for the nonprofit group that runs the facility said the organization was ad­dressing a “security issue,” but offered no additional information, other than, “I can tell you it definitely wasn’t aliens.”

The sheriff did not actually speak to the FBI:

House, the sheriff, said that just before 10 a.m. Sept. 6, staffers at the Sunspot facility called to report that they were “evacuating the building” and asked if deputies could assist. He said a sergeant and a deputy were dispatched and told upon arrival that the FBI had been there earlier.

Supposedly, a firefighter did speak to the FBI:

He said a volunteer fire chief claimed that the FBI had told him there had been a “credible threat” but would provide no details.

They say it is not the sun:

That consortium, McAteer said, had ordered the site vacated, providing no other reason than a “security” issue. He said the researchers did not spot anything in the sun to necessitate them leaving, nor were they aware of any scientific reason — such as an anomaly in the data they were collecting — for doing so.

The sheriff is backing down on the Blackhawk claims:

House said his deputies spotted a Black Hawk helicopter in the area around the time the building was evacuated — although he said that is not uncommon.

It was nothing from White Sands:

A public affairs officer at White Sands said there was no testing or other activity at the range that would have prompted the evacuation in Sunspot.

So... it looks like nothing exciting. It was probably something to do with terrorism threats, hacking, or the previously mentioned accidental interception of military transmissions... or something like that?

You ever see one of those movies where they come in and move everyone out because they need that place for a while?
Maybe they need that hill right now.

originally posted by: Deetermined
a reply to: howtonhawky

Maybe you misunderstood what the poster was implying. Here it is again...

It’s an accidental breach of SIGINT security, the sensors this facility uses accidentally intercepted US military signals without knowing it and someone found out. The FBI was sent in to scrub the data and find out how it was done so either the signals or equipment can be modified.

I get it and raise you with the thought that such event is highly unlikely due to the encryption methods used by the military. If it was any type military info that was valuable then it goes poof quickly and such scrubs would be to simply delete the capture method and not the info itself cause the info would already be gone.However that is entirely my opinion based on my limited knowledge.