Mystery surrounds National Solar Observatory after facility suddenly shuts down over 'security issue

[LiberalArkie]

The National Solar Observatory in New Mexico has been closed down for days with little explanation — and people are starting to think it’s out of this world.

The research facility at Sacramento Peak was evacuated Thursday last week as was a nearby United States Post Office. It’s not clear when they will open their doors again.

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, which operates the Sunspot observatory, said in a statement to the Daily News Wednesday afternoon that it is “addressing a security issue.”

Officials decided to “temporarily vacate the facility as a precautionary measure,” spokeswoman Shari Lifson said, adding AURA is “working with the proper authorities on this issue.”

Snip

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-mystery-surrounds-sudden-closure-new-mexico-observatory-20180912-story.html

https://gizmodo.com/this-is-how-it-starts-fbi-suspiciously-locks-down-eva-1829012554

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/msn/why-has-this-new-mexico-observatory-been-evacuated/ar-BBNgOlz

And Post Office?

https://www.kvia.com/news/new-mexico/national-solar-observatory-usps-office-in-sunspot-nm-evacuated-for-safety-reasons-/792020771



Just in case you were blowing off the tin-foil-hat views of the observatory closure, we note that all these solar/space cams down at the same time:

AXIS 232D Network Dome Camera located in Sydney Australia

Webcams located at SOAR Observatory – The Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope located in Chile

BRT Tenerife Telescope Webcam located in Spain

Webcam located at Mauna Kea observatory at the University of Hawaii Hilo

Webcam from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope observatory in Hawaii

Webcam at JAT OBservatory in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania


https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-11/national-solar-observatory-mysteriously-closed-geomagnetic-storm-looms

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Aliens have arrived! nt

[Generic Other]

13. Posting because someone has to do it

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[MineralMan]

2. Uh, more likely it's some sort of bomb threat or

disgruntled person threat. The other reasons wouldn't cause a shutdown. Why would a massive solar flare affect those places more than anywhere else?

This sounds like tin-foil stuff to me.

[MosheFeingold]

3. Then why close for a week?

And not tell the local Sheriff what loon to look for.

I'm a NYer transplanted to NM and this is the topic of some conversation.

General local consensus is a Chinese spy group worked at the observatory and had set up listening equipment that had nothing to do with viewing the Sun. It has clear views of a number of sensitive installations, notably White Sands and other military bases.

[MineralMan]

4. I have no idea. However,

I usually look for the most likely, rather than the least likely reasons for things. For example, why would the local post office also be closed. It has nothing to do with the function of that observatory.

I guess we'll either find out what the reason is or we won't. If you hear something definitive, please let us know.

[Delmette2.0]

5. I can't wait to hear the rest of the story.

Is it online hacking? Bomb threats?

[GemDigger]

6. 5 places around the globe....???

Sounds hinky.

[nykym]

7. Surrender Earthligs

[lagomorph777]

8. That's bizarre.

North Korean hackers?
Putin's minions?
They've found new evidence related to climate change, and the Koch Bros want it suppressed?

[MineralMan]

9. The two webcams in Hawaii? There's a storm there.

That could be a reason. Perhaps the locations have shut down for the storm?

The others? I have no idea. Webcams go down all the time for all sorts of reasons.

[NewJeffCT]

10. if it was just the US based ones

I would have said that maybe they ran out of funding after Trump transferred it all to keep kids in cages...

[Bayard]

11. Call in Mulder and Scully!

Its a conspiracy.....

[LiberalArkie]

12. To me the interesting thing is why shutdown the postoffice at the same time.