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Post by auntym on Sept 11, 2018 13:04:17 GMT -6
mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/09/national-solar-observatory-mysteriously-closed-for-security-reasons/
this is real interesting... National Solar Observatory Mysteriously Closed For Security Reasonsby Paul Seaburn / mysteriousuniverse.org/author/paulseaburn/September 11, 2018 When you walk up to a restaurant door and a sign on it says the place was shut down by the government, you probably suspect there was a health problem and are grateful for the implied warning. What would you think if you walked up to the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot (yep, that’s the town’s real name), New Mexico, and saw a similar sign that the place had been shut down for “security reasons”? Would you be more concerned of you knew it had been closed for a week with no explanation? How about if you found out the nearby post office (the “neither rain nor sleet nor gloom of night” people) was closed for the same reason? Worried yet? “The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy who manages the facility is addressing a security issue at this time. We have decided to vacate the facility at this time as precautionary measure. It was our decision to evacuate the facility.” The Dunn Solar Telescope at the observatory Local ABC station KVIA reported the September 6th shutdown of the observatory on the following day after the above statement was given by Shari Lifson, a spokesperson for the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) which operates the facility. As of this writing, KVIA reports there has been no additional information released despite requests by Otero County Sheriff Benny House, who gave his own report to the Alamogordo Daily News: “The FBI is refusing to tell us what’s going on. We’ve got people up there (at Sunspot) that requested us to standby while they evacuate it. Nobody would really elaborate on any of the circumstances as to why. The FBI were up there. What their purpose was nobody will say. But for the FBI to get involved that quick and be so secretive about it, there was a lot of stuff going on up there. There was a Blackhawk helicopter, a bunch of people around antennas and work crews on towers but nobody would tell us anything.” For the conspiracy-minded, Sunspot is a mere 130 miles from Roswell, New Mexico, and about 90 miles from the White Sands Missile Range. Established in 1958, the observatory predates the unincorporated area in the Sacramento Mountains that was named for it. Employees, when they were there, had to go to nearby Cloudcroft for food and gas on New Mexico State Road 6563, named for the brightest wavelength of hydrogen emission, H-alpha. The land once belonged to the Air Force but is now managed by the National Forest Service. The telescope is (or was) open to the public on weekends. In 2018, the observatory was taken over by New Mexico State University. However, Deputy House is uncertain that’s who he was dealing with when the FBI called them in. “They’re not federal employees, It may be somebody who threatened one of their workers. If that’s the case, why didn’t call us and let us deal with it. These guys are regular workers that work for this company. I don’t know why the FBI would get involved so quick and not tell us anything.” After seeing there was no obvious threat, House sent his officers back to the station. What about the local post office? Rod Spurgeon, a spokesman with the USPS, gave this statement: “Right now, what we’re told is that they’ve temporarily evacuated the area. We haven’t been told why or when that expires.” What happened at the Sunspot Observatory to cause a mysterious evacuation there and at the post office that brought in the FBI? While Sheriff House thinks it was a worker incident or an external threat, why keep the places shut down indefinitely, especially since there was no reported crime, shooting or deaths? Did someone at the observatory ‘observe’ something they shouldn’t have? Did someone in Sunspot perhaps figure out why there haven’t been any sunspots for a while? Did they try to sneak the information out through the local post office? Just asking for a friend. For now, let’s keep a well-shaded eye on Sunspot. mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/09/national-solar-observatory-mysteriously-closed-for-security-reasons/
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Post by swamprat on Sept 11, 2018 14:48:02 GMT -6
I think Cliff should go out there and investigate. He is our Sun expert!Sunspot Observatory closed due to security issueDuane Barbati, Alamogordo Daily News | Published 5:15 p.m. MT Sept. 7, 2018
SUNSPOT, NM – The Sunspot Observatory is temporarily closed due to a security issue at the facility that’s located 17 miles south of Cloudcroft in the Sacramento Mountains Friday, an Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) spokeswoman Shari Lifson said.
“The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy who manages the facility is addressing a security issue at this time,” Lifson said. “We have decided to vacate the facility at this time as precautionary measure. It was our decision to evacuate the facility.”
She said she cannot comment on the specifics of the security issue.
The facility is the National Solar Observatory facility at Sacramento Peak that’s managed by AURA.
Apache Point Observatory (APO) is currently in operation. APO was not evacuated. APO is about a mile away from Sunspot observatory.
She said AURA does not have a comment about the type of security issue at this time.
“I am actually not sure (when the facility was vacated) but it will stay vacated until further notice,” Lifson said. “It’s the people that vacated. At this time, it’s the facility that’s closed.”
Sunspot Observatory entrance was blocked with a stop sign and yellow crime scene tap Friday morning. The facility is temporarily closed until further notice. (Photo: Dylan Taylor-Lehman/Daily News)
She said the facility is closed to the public and Sunspot employees.
“We don’t know that yet (when the facility will open again),” Lifson said. “We are working with the proper authorities on this issues. The local authorities do know and are aware of the situation. I don’t know when the facility was vacated but it was within the last day. It’s a temporary evacuation of the facility. We open it up as soon as possible.”
She said she cannot comment on whether the FBI was involved in the situation.
Otero County Sheriff Benny House said the Otero County Sheriff’s Office was asked to standby.
“The FBI is refusing to tell us what’s going on,” House said. “We’ve got people up there (at Sunspot) that requested us to standby while they evacuate it. Nobody would really elaborate on any of the circumstances as to why. The FBI were up there. What their purpose was nobody will say.”
He said he has a lot of unanswered question about what occurred at Sunspot.
“But for the FBI to get involved that quick and be so secretive about it, there was a lot of stuff going on up there,” House said. “There was a Blackhawk helicopter, a bunch of people around antennas and work crews on towers but nobody would tell us anything.”
The Daily News contacted the Albuquerque FBI spokesman seeking comment for this story, but telephone calls and messages were never returned.
House said he pulled his deputies from the facility after there was no identifiable threat.
“They wanted us up there to help evacuate but nobody would tell us anything,” he said. “We went up there and everything was good. There was no threat. Nobody would identify any specific threat. We hung out for a little while then we left. No reason for us to be there. Nobody would tell us what we’re supposed to be watching out for.”
House said he doesn’t understand why Sunspot didn’t call or notify them of the situation.
“They’re not federal employees,” he said. “It maybe somebody who threatened one of their workers. If that’s the case, why didn’t call us and let us deal with it. These guys are regular workers that work for this company. I don’t know why the FBI would get involved so quick and not tell us anything.”
www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/2018/09/07/sunspot-observatory-south-cloudcroft-closed-due-security-issue/1227788002/
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Post by swamprat on Sept 12, 2018 17:44:57 GMT -6
Well.... now the tabloids have jumped on it.....Space observatory LOCKDOWN sparks claims alien life has been spotted as FBI investigateA SPACE observatory was evacuated and placed on lockdown by the FBI, sparking claims they may have stumbled across alien life.
By Callum Hoare / Published 12th September 2018
Employees from the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico, were told to leave as agents rushed to the research centre last Thursday.
The building remains on lockdown, surrounded with yellow tape, as no timeframe has been given to local police for it to re-open.
A post office nearby was also cleared out and employees have been transferred to another branch.
And no one has given an explanation why.
"We have temporarily vacated this facility as a precautionary measure," a spokeswoman for the Association for Universities for Research in Astronomy said.
"We're working with the proper authorities on this issue."
But Tyler Glockner, who runs YouTube conspiracy channel secureteam10, thinks astronomers in the observatory spotted something the government did not like.
He speculated, while taking images of the sun, they may have come across a secret military project or even extraterrestrial life.
Tyler went on to add that the FBI would have been brought in to remove any evidence of this.
His video has now racked up more than 300,000 hits in less than 24 hours.
And viewers were quick to share their thoughts.
"They don't even close a school for this long after a shooting, something big has happened," one person claimed.
Another added: "Maybe one of the employees tried to mail out their findings."
And a third claimed: "Suspicious considering that NASA just launched a probe to go within 6million miles of the Sun to take images."
It is not the first time claims have surfaced over alien life, though.
Just yesterday, artificial intelligence spotted 72 unknown radio bursts in space.
And before that, NASA found a recording which could not be explained.
www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/729132/Alien-news-space-observatory-lockdown-FBI-investigate-New-Mexico-video
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Post by swamprat on Sept 13, 2018 13:21:12 GMT -6
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Post by auntym on Sept 13, 2018 14:52:06 GMT -6
i think an alien escaped, thats why they shut everything down...
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Post by swamprat on Sept 13, 2018 18:35:08 GMT -6
This Is How It Starts: FBI Suspiciously Locks Down, Evacuates Solar Observatory In New MexicoJennings Brown, Gizmodo Australia Sep 13, 2018
This is how it happens when extraterrestrials make contact with Earth.
It starts with a newspaper report about suspicious activity at a space research facility — government agents and military vehicles. The local sheriff gets angry and confused. Then the TV news reports feature interviews with locals saying things like, “Nothing really happens here very much. And since nobody knows, it could be almost anything.”
All that has happened over the last week at the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico, 200km southwest of Roswell — and the situation is still a mystery.
It seems to have started last Friday local time when the observatory was temporarily closed because of an undisclosed security issue. Shari Lifson, a spokesperson for the group that manages the facility — Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) — told the Alamogordo Daily News, “We have decided to vacate the facility at this time as a precautionary measure. It was our decision to evacuate the facility.”
Otero County Sheriff Benny House told the Daily News that FBI agents told his officers to “standby”, and would not explain the security threat to him or why the federal law enforcement agency was involved.
“But for the FBI to get involved that quick and be so secretive about it, there was a lot of stuff going on up there,” House said to the Daily News. “There was a Blackhawk helicopter, a bunch of people around antennas and work crews on towers, but nobody would tell us anything.”
House seemed especially confused since the staff at the observatory aren’t federal employees, as far as he knows. “These guys are regular workers that work for this company. I don’t know why the FBI would get involved so quick and not tell us anything,” he told the Daily News.
Frank Fisher, a public affairs officer at FBI’s Albuquerque Division, told Gizmodo that it was referring all inquiries to AURA. Lifson of AURA told Gizmodo today that the facility is still closed because the research group is still “addressing a security issue” and “is working with the proper authorities on this issue”, but has no further comment about the nature of the security issue.
A dispatcher at the Otero County Sheriff’s office told Gizmodo that the matter is still a complete mystery to their office.
“We don’t know what is going on. We haven’t had any updates. We haven’t gotten any information at all,” he said. “There’s not much we can do about it. We’ve decided to respect their wishes. We’re not going to make any inquiries and they’re not telling us.”
www.gizmodo.com.au/2018/09/this-is-how-it-starts-fbi-suspiciously-locks-down-evacuates-solar-observatory-in-new-mexico/
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Post by jcurio on Sept 13, 2018 18:54:40 GMT -6
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Post by skywalker on Sept 14, 2018 6:51:15 GMT -6
Interesting. To close both the observatory and post office might indicate a possible terrorist attack or bomb scare. Or maybe somebody at the observatory saw something they weren't supposed to see and tried to mail evidence of it? I dunno.
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Post by auntym on Sept 14, 2018 13:15:10 GMT -6
sputniknews.com/us/201809141068045456-Aliens-Unlikely-Cause-Observatory-Shutdown/this all sounds very suspicious to me... ... Nick Pope Verified account @nickpopemod 23m23 minutes ago
Here's a new media article about the #FBI shutdown of the National Solar Observatory, where I'm quoted explaining why this is unlikely to have anything to do with #UFOs or aliens. @natsolarobs @fbi Aliens Unlikely to Be Cause of Mysterious New Mexico Observatory Shutdown21:42 14.09.2018(updated 21:44 14.09.2018) Aliens Unlikely to Be Cause of Mysterious New Mexico Observatory ShutdownThe strange closure of a national observatory in New Mexico by the FBI has sparked a number of conspiracy theories. Chief among them: aliens. One leading extraterrestrial researcher tells Sputnik News, however, that it’s probably not the case. The Sunspot National Observatory, which is run by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), was evacuated on September 6. AURA says they ordered the evacuation but, oddly, that they also aren't sure when exactly it was vacated. When it was shut down, the FBI came in but "refused" to tell local authorities "what's going on," Otero County Sheriff Benny House said, adding that the bureau told his department to stand by while they evacuated the building. "Nobody would really elaborate on any of the circumstances as to why. The FBI were up there. What their purpose was, nobody will say." Eventually, after not perceiving any threats, the sheriff and his people left the scene, Sputnik News reported. Gizmodo editor Jennings Brown wrote, "This is how it happens when extraterrestrials make contact with Earth." "It starts with a newspaper report about suspicious activity at a space research facility — government agents and military vehicles. The local sheriff gets angry and confused," he added. "For the FBI to get involved that quick and be so secretive about it, there was a lot of stuff going on up there," the sheriff added. "There was a Blackhawk helicopter, a bunch of people around antennas and work crews on towers, but nobody would tell us anything." "It's unfortunate that the local authorities haven't been told what's going on, because this creates fear and fuels conspiracy theories, but the FBI is an inherently secretive organization, and the default position is to say as little as possible when security issues arise," Nick Pope, a freelance journalist who researched UFOs for the British Ministry of Defense from 1985 to 2006 and now does so on his own time, told Sputnik News. MORE: sputniknews.com/us/201809141068045456-Aliens-Unlikely-Cause-Observatory-Shutdown/
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Post by auntym on Sept 14, 2018 13:36:37 GMT -6
sputniknews.com/viral/201809131068011739-observatory-closure-aliens-theories/ FBI Closing Down Solar Observatory, Spawns Alien Conspiracy Theories – Reports21:48 13.09.2018(updated 21:53 13.09.2018) The speed with which the US federal agency descended on the facility has led some people to believe that maybe the scientists there have stumbled upon something related to space aliens. A new theory has emerged concerning why the FBI swooped upon the Sunspot Observatory in New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains, The Independent reported. According to the newspaper, this development, along with the observatory’s usual field of studies, led a number of people on the internet to wonder whether scientists might’ve seen something they shouldn’t have, with “one prominent YouTube channel” speculating that the observatory accidentally spotted an alien craft. The Sunspot Observatory in New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains has been closed since Thursday under a shroud of mystery after the FBI evacuated it for reasons they would not explain to local authorities. AURA is "addressing a security issue at the National Solar Observatory facility at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico, and has decided to temporarily vacate the facility as a precautionary measure," the observatory wrote on Facebook, adding that it was "working with the proper authorities" but had "no further comment at this time." sputniknews.com/viral/201809131068011739-observatory-closure-aliens-theories/
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Post by auntym on Sept 14, 2018 13:44:10 GMT -6
gizmodo.com/this-is-how-it-starts-fbi-suspiciously-locks-down-eva-1829012554 This Is How It Starts: FBI Suspiciously Locks Down, Evacuates Solar Observatory in New Mexicoby Jennings Brown / kinja.com/tjenningsbrown9-13-2018 Photo: Getty This is how it happens when extraterrestrials make contact with Earth. It starts with a newspaper report about suspicious activity at a space research facility—government agents and military vehicles. The local sheriff gets angry and confused. Then the TV news reports feature interviews with locals saying things like, “Nothing really happens here very much. And since nobody knows, it could be almost anything.” All that has happened over the last week at the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico, 130 miles southwest of Roswell—and the situation is still a mystery. It seems to have started last Friday when the observatory was temporarily closed because of an undisclosed security issue. Shari Lifson, a spokesperson for the group that manages the facility—Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)—told the Alamogordo Daily News: “We have decided to vacate the facility at this time as a precautionary measure. It was our decision to evacuate the facility.” Otero County Sheriff Benny House told the Daily News that FBI agents told his officers to “standby,” and would not explain the security threat to him or why the federal law enforcement agency was involved. “But for the FBI to get involved that quick and be so secretive about it, there was a lot of stuff going on up there,” House said to the Daily News. “There was a Blackhawk helicopter, a bunch of people around antennas and work crews on towers, but nobody would tell us anything.” House seemed especially confused since the staff at the observatory aren’t federal employees, as far as he knows. “These guys are regular workers that work for this company. I don’t know why the FBI would get involved so quick and not tell us anything,” he told the Daily News. Frank Fisher, a public affairs officer at FBI’s Albuquerque Division, told Gizmodo that it was referring all inquiries to AURA. Lifson of AURA told Gizmodo today that the facility is still closed because the research group is still “addressing a security issue” and “is working with the proper authorities on this issue,” but has no further comment about the nature of the security issue. A dispatcher at the Otero County Sheriff’s office told Gizmodo that the matter is still a complete mystery to their office. “We don’t know what is going on. We haven’t had any updates. We haven’t gotten any information at all,” he said. “There’s not much we can do about it. We’ve decided to respect their wishes. We’re not going to make any inquiries and they’re not telling us.” [Alamogordo Daily News] gizmodo.com/this-is-how-it-starts-fbi-suspiciously-locks-down-eva-1829012554
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Post by auntym on Sept 14, 2018 15:04:40 GMT -6
Linda Moulton Howe on why Solar Observatory in Sunspot Closed
Earthfiles Streamed live on Sep 12, 2018
Linda Moulton Howe live on Why Did FBI Close Down Nat’l. Solar Observatory in Sunspot, NM and Local Post Office?
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Post by skywalker on Sept 14, 2018 15:09:57 GMT -6
I think it had to be a bomb threat or something. Of course it would be nice if the Feds would give us some info once in a while.
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Post by auntym on Sept 14, 2018 19:36:58 GMT -6
www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/23609/watch-this-guy-go-up-to-the-mysteriously-evacuated-sunspot-observatory-and-walk-all-around
Watch This Guy Go Up To The Mysteriously Evacuated Sunspot Observatory And Walk All AroundThe Youtuber crossed the security tape and explored the deserted complex unimpeded, but now there are security guards at the property's entrance.By Tyler Rogoway / www.thedrive.com/author/tyler-rogowaySeptember 14, 2018 Tyler RogowayView Tyler Rogoway's Articles twitter.com/Aviation_Intel As a followup to our widely circulated analysis on the mysterious evacuation of the Sunspot Solar Observatory complex that looks over White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, I wanted to post this video of a Youtuber driving up to the taped off entry and proceeding to walk all around the totally deserted compound. The video is outright eerie. Nobody was there, not even a security guard. The only thing moving was a small drone he spotted overhead. Who was controlling that drone is unknown. Maybe the most bizarre moment, albeit in a coincidental way, is when he spots an X-files: Unrestricted Access DVD laying out prominently in one of the buildings. Google Earth The landing strip is on the western edge of the property, below the summit. An access road leads there from the north part of the complex. Sunspot was originally a USAF installation.It's also worth noting that the video reminds us that there is a large water tower at the site (see 11:17) that could offer an ideal and unassuming location for placing sensors to monitor the activities that go on in, above, and around the valley below—many of which are classified. One area that is not seen in the video is the small rough-field landing strip that is nestled below the summit but is also a part of the facility. It's unclear when the airfield was last used, but judging by its size, it could only accommodate bush planes and helicopters. The landing strip is on the western edge of the property, below the summit. An access road leads there from the north part of the complex. Sunspot was originally a USAF installation. The video was shot on September 13th, 2018, but on Sept. 14 The Washington Post reported that a pair of guards, from Red Rock Security & Patrol, based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, more than 60 miles to the southwest, were stationed at the entrance to the enclave. They said that had no information on what was going on and were on orders to only allow the observatory’s “director and an assistant” past. It is not clear who hired them, but the nature of their instructions would imply that AURA had arranged from the security detail. The Post said that there had been no other signs of law enforcement in the area, which reinforces the general state of affairs we can see in the video above, taken on the day before. The Washington Post, talking to James McAteer, a professor at New Mexico State University and director of the Sunspot Solar Observatory consortium writes: McAteer said his consortium assigns four researchers to the facility, although the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), another consortium, manages the buildings and other infrastructure with another four or five people. 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 property manager also came in to the post office on the facility and asked the woman working there to leave, but gave no indication why that was necessary, said Rod Spurgeon, a Postal Service spokesman. Spurgeon said post office operations have continued at the nearby Cloudcroft facility. Kinsey Featherston, a spokeswoman for Rep. Stevan Pearce (R-N.M.), said the congressman’s office had reached out to the FBI and were told “it is an ongoing investigation.” “We will continue monitoring the situation, but at this time, we have no information,” she said. Even with these new tidbits of information, it seems we are still left with more questions than answers, but a counter-intelligence operation focused on some form of espionage still seems like a likely explanation. Update: 5:27pm PDT— An esteemed member of our discussion crew, ThisWasMyName, pointed out that the drone videos taken while our Youtube explorer checked out the grounds are available on Youtube as well. Regardless of the mystery, these are breathtaking videos. What a cool facility that seems to have a lot of potential beyond astronomy. Check out the videos below: MORE VIDEOS: www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/23609/watch-this-guy-go-up-to-the-mysteriously-evacuated-sunspot-observatory-and-walk-all-around
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Post by auntym on Sept 15, 2018 12:07:17 GMT -6
I think it had to be a bomb threat or something. Of course it would be nice if the Feds would give us some info once in a while. i don't think its a bomb threat...this place has been closed since september 6...
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Post by skywalker on Sept 15, 2018 14:10:40 GMT -6
If it's been closed that long it means it's either an active crime scene that they are still investigating or it's dangerous for people to be there. Maybe they really did find a bomb or something. I'm sure the news media will say the Russians had something to do with it.
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Post by auntym on Sept 15, 2018 14:36:56 GMT -6
i've not heard THAT excuse... but then again, anythings possible... i still say aliens... ... they probably landed or they were seen circling the sun... just my humble opinion... The REAL Reason For Solar Observatory Shutdown?..
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Post by jcurio on Sept 15, 2018 16:20:12 GMT -6
The post office shut down too?
And scientists told to leave immediately?
Post office- mailed anthrax.
Scientists- next to post office. Ready to receive mailed anthrax.
🙄
I agree with Skywalker - must be some sort of threat. (Not anthrax. Not Russians; or Trump would be tweeting 😁).
********* I just tried to watch the drone video. Was unable to. I imagine those vids will be yanked any sec ....
🙄🤪😲
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Post by jcurio on Sept 15, 2018 16:25:35 GMT -6
Just got to watch the first drone one, after all. Beautiful place!
Why isnt anybody mentioning the underground part?
(Using logical corollary, here. Mountainous territory, and private. MUST HAVE underground facilty. Hmmmmmm. Does it link underground with Roswell and White Sands??)
If we are going to be thinking “conspiracy”..... think “underground”.
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Post by jcurio on Sept 15, 2018 16:42:36 GMT -6
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Post by skywalker on Sept 15, 2018 17:53:16 GMT -6
I've been to the observatory before. It's not far from white sands and the Trinity site where the first bomb was tested. Very cool. I saw a UFO on that trip also. I don't think anthrax had anything to do with it because they were checking the antennas at the observatory. Maybe a terrorist plot to blow it up? I wonder if the FBI people who are investigating really are FBI?
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Post by swamprat on Sept 15, 2018 18:51:59 GMT -6
And the dialogue continues.....Solar Observatory shutdown: Sheriff describes mysterious FBI tests amid alien speculation THE mystery behind the sudden FBI shutdown of the Sunspot Solar Observatory has sparked wide-ranging conspiracy theories - but now, the local sheriff and the team of scientists in charge of the telescope have spoken out.
By Oli Smith Published: Sat, Sep 15, 2018
A national solar observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico is at the centre of an FBI investigation, prompting a frenzy of conspiracy theories.
The observatory has been closed since last Thursday, when it was suddenly evacuated by FBI officials tasked with investigating an undisclosed "security issue".
Government officials have refused to elaborate on what is behind the unexpected closure.
The silence from officials has set off a range of theories, including a possible alien sighting, unexpected movement in the sun or a mercury leak.
Along with the Sunspot Solar Observatory, a local post office and around a dozen residents have been evacuated.
Local county sheriff Benny House described Blackhawk helicopters circling the area, as well as military figures working with antennas.
Mr House said that the FBI has kept local residents in the dark, adding: "The FBI is refusing to tell us what’s going on.
"What their purpose was nobody will say. But for the FBI to get involved that quick and be so secretive about it, there was a lot of stuff going on up there.
"There was a Blackhawk helicopter, a bunch of people around antennas and work crews on towers but nobody would tell us anything."
Now scientists have spoken out about the mystery closure, insisting that the mysterious shutdown is not related to an extraterrestrial encounter.
The team that operates the telescope at the observatory have confirmed there was no alien sighting.
James McAteer, director of the observatory, did not reveal what exactly was behind the evacuation.
He said: "The telescope did not see aliens. All data will be made public in its unaltered form. Nothing is hidden or kept secret."
Mr. McAteer added that the government officials "locked all the doors" as they were leaving.
Fellow sheriff Jon Emery also said: "We don't know what they took, what their reason for being there was. We have no information on it."
Everisto Gomez, a dispatch operator for the Otero County Sheriff's Office, added: "This is very abnormal."
The FBI has not commented on the investigation.
www.express.co.uk/news/science/1018020/Sunspot-Solar-Observatory-FBI-aliens-UFO-conspiracy-theory/
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Post by skywalker on Sept 15, 2018 18:57:26 GMT -6
If the scientists who work there don't know what's going on the how could the Feds? Does the government have access to the telescope that nobody else knows about?
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Post by auntym on Sept 15, 2018 21:00:21 GMT -6
www.cnn.com/2018/09/15/us/national-solar-observatory-closed-evacuated-trnd/index.html Mysterious 'security issue' forces a solar observatory to be evacuatedBy Andrea Diaz, CNN / Sat September 15, 2018 The Sunspot Solar Observatory is the home of one of the largest active solar telescopes in the world. (CNN)The sudden closure of the Sunspot Solar Observatory in New Mexico has everyone talking -- everyone but authorities. The facility focuses on solar research, and its solar telescope is one of the best ground-based solar observatories in the world. But on September 6, the observatory was evacuated because of a "security issue," and it remains closed and under FBI investigation. Government officials have not given a clear explanation of what the issue is, however, and this has prompted wild speculation. One popular theory circulating online is that aliens or UFOs could be the reason for the concern. The observatory is about 85 miles southwest of Roswell, New Mexico, where a mysterious object crashed in 1947, launching decades of speculation about the wreckage. ********************************* NatlSolarObservatory @natsolarobs Sep 13
Thank you for your patience while the closure at Sunspot Observatory is resolved. Our other facilities are open and NSO is operating as normal. @auradc - our management org - is addressing a security issue at Sunspot and has temporarily vacated the facility as a precaution. ******************************** Robert Moose @robertmoose Replying to @natsolarobs @auradc
If y'all could atleast say "This has nothing to do with anything observed in space." That would be awesome, help calm down conspiracy Twitter.******************************* Not to worry, according to the FBI, which told CNN affiliate KOAT that extraterrestrial activity is not the problem. Adding to the mystery is that residents around the area were forced to evacuate without any explanation as to why, KOAT reported. "We were told we had a credible threat through the FBI and to leave," evacuee Sean Williams told the station. *************************************** Joe Napoli @joenapoli7
Oh, I believe it has everything to do with what was seen in space. 100%. 11:23 AM - Sep 14, 2018 ************************************** CNN contacted the sheriff's office in Otero County, but a spokesperson said the office is not working with the FBI and couldn't provide any answers. The FBI transferred CNN's request for comment to the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), which manages the observatory. Though AURA provided no immediate response, the association had already released the following statement: "AURA is addressing a security issue at the National Solar Observatory facility at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico and has decided to temporarily vacate the facility as a precautionary measure until further notice," read the statement. "All other NSO facilities are open and operating normally. AURA, which manages Sacramento Peak with funding from the National Science Foundation, is working with the proper authorities on this issue." www.cnn.com/2018/09/15/us/national-solar-observatory-closed-evacuated-trnd/index.html
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Post by auntym on Sept 15, 2018 21:26:42 GMT -6
www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/a-solar-observatory-in-new-mexico-is-evacuated-for-a-week-and-the-fbi-is-investigating-no-one-will-say-why/2018/09/14/ea006a96-b78b-11e8-a2c5-3187f427e253_story.html?utm_term=.83bb70e10550A solar observatory in New Mexico is evacuated for a week and the FBI is investigating. No one will say why.By Robert Moore and Matt Zapotosky September 14, 2018 A sign at the entrance to the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, N.M. The facility has been closed since it was evacuated on Sept. 6. In a state known for secretive military testing and a suspected UFO crash, the incident has spawned a great deal of speculation. (Robert Moore/For The Washington Post) SUNSPOT, N.M. — At a small solar observatory tucked away in the woods of a national forest here, scientists and other personnel were commanded last week to leave at once. A week later, the facility remains vacant, and no one is willing to say why. The mysterious and lengthy evacuation, in a state known for secretive military testing and a suspected UFO crash, has spawned a wealth of speculation. Did the researchers spot something extraterrestrial? Was the solar telescope hacked by a foreign power and deployed to spy on, say, the state’s missile testing range? Or is there an innocuous explanation, suppressed only because of corporate and government resistance to transparency? [An alien cyberattack? As if we didn’t have enough to worry about.] www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/28/an-alien-cyberattack-as-if-we-didnt-have-enough-to-worry-about/?utm_term=.cfae6ce38e3eOn Friday, the entrance to the National Solar Observatory was blocked by yellow crime scene tape and two security guards, who said even they had been kept in the dark. The guards, from Red Rock Security & Patrol in Las Cruces, N.M., did not give their names but said it was the first day the company was guarding the entrance and that only the “director and an assistant” were allowed in. There was no obvious sign of law enforcement activity. “We don’t know anything. We’re just as curious as anyone else,” one guard said. 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.” She said Friday that the facility “will remain closed until further notice.” Neither the FBI — which was spotted on the premises around the time of the evacuation — nor those who worked at the facility would tell local law enforcement what had happened, said Otero County Sheriff Benny House. “They wouldn’t give us any details,” House said. “I’ve got ideas, but I don’t want to put them out there. That’s how bad press or rumors get started, and it’ll cause paranoia, or I might satisfy everybody’s mind and I might be totally off base.” Unlike some of New Mexico’s other research facilities, the solar observatory in Sunspot is not usually shrouded in such secrecy. The facility — in the Lincoln National Forest in the southern part of the state — is open to the public, and the scientists who work there offer guided tours of the site, said James McAteer, a professor at New Mexico State University and director of the Sunspot Solar Observatory consortium. When they’re not doing that, they use a special telescope and other instruments to study the sun. There are homes on the site where staff members live. The Sunspot observatory sits at more than 9,000 feet and is part of a larger astronomy research facility on the site. The adjacent Apache Point Observatory, a collection of telescopes about a half-mile away, was operating as normal on Friday, with about a dozen cars parked outside. 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. But neither staff nor the bureau would explain why the facility had to be vacated, House said. He said a volunteer fire chief claimed that the FBI had told him there had been a “credible threat” but would provide no details. The sheriff’s office, House said, saw no evidence of a threat, and deputies left after a few hours. “We tried to find out the threat and what their concerns were,” House said. “They wouldn’t identify anything. They were pretty hush mouthed about it.” [How will humanity react to alien life? Psychologists have some predictions.] www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/12/04/how-will-humanity-react-to-alien-life-psychologists-have-some-predictions/?utm_term=.a4b22753d6bdMcAteer said his consortium assigns four researchers to the facility, although the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, another consortium, manages the buildings and other infrastructure with an additional four or five people. 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. “My people, we didn’t do the evacuation, and we do the science,” McAteer said. The property manager also went into the post office on the facility and asked the woman working there to leave but gave no indication why that was necessary, said Rod Spurgeon, a Postal Service spokesman. Spurgeon said post office operations have continued at the nearby Cloudcroft facility. Kinsey Featherston, a spokeswoman for Rep. Stevan Pearce (R-N.M.), said the congressman’s office contacted the FBI and was told there was an “ongoing investigation.” “We will continue monitoring the situation, but at this time, we have no information,” she said. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, referring questions about the matter to the consortium that manages the buildings. Shari Lifson, a spokeswoman for the AURA consortium, said in a statement that her group was “addressing a security issue” and had “decided to temporarily vacate the facility as a precautionary measure.” She said they were “working with the proper authorities on this issue.” Lifson declined to specify who those authorities were. She also declined to specify the security issue, other than to dispute the idea aliens were involved. The solar observatory is about a 2½ -hour drive from Roswell, N.M., the site of an infamous crash in 1947 that the Air Force later said was an experiment designed to detect Soviet nuclear activity by monitoring sound waves. The incident sparked so much interest that there is now a UFO museum in the city. 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. Sunspot and Apache Point offer scenic views of the Tularosa Basin, which includes two sensitive military sites, including Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range. 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. [The military keeps encountering UFOs. Why doesn’t the Pentagon care?] As of Friday, the observatory was still shuttered, although McAteer said the researchers were ready to return “as soon as possible.” The observatory even seemed to embrace the interest in the mysterious evacuation, writing on its website, “With the excitement this closure has generated, we hope you will come and visit us when we do reopen, and see for yourself the services we provide for science and public outreach in heliophysics.” Zapotosky reported from Washington. Shane Harris and Joby Warrick in Washington contributed to this report. www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/a-solar-observatory-in-new-mexico-is-evacuated-for-a-week-and-the-fbi-is-investigating-no-one-will-say-why/2018/09/14/ea006a96-b78b-11e8-a2c5-3187f427e253_story.html?utm_term=.83bb70e10550
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Post by jojustjo on Sept 15, 2018 23:25:49 GMT -6
Lots of solar activity right now..flares and such. Tends to mess with electronics...make people irritable...grumpy or agitated. Even knowing it effects people..it still tends to make me wooly headed. Takes me longer to function..longer to focus..makes me jumpy. If it's the FBI who knows what they think is going on. I have trouble thinking of aliens in or on the sun...it's a tad warm up there..they would have to have some amazing shielding...or maybe they're fire elementals
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Post by skywalker on Sept 16, 2018 6:02:14 GMT -6
There does appear to be some large object orbiting very close to the sun. It's either a small planet, a large asteroid or something. It's been photographed by a lot of people. I don't think scientists have ever officially acknowledged its existence. I suppose if aliens wanted to hide that would be a good place to do it. We can't even find them here on our own planet when they are constantly kid-zapping people right under everybody's noses.
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Post by jcurio on Sept 16, 2018 8:13:07 GMT -6
Just wanted to add a small *point* 😉
Thus far, one week or more, several people have been able “to keep a secret”.
However they keep this “secret”, lying, denying, whatever..... there seems to be no one “leaking” . . .
🙂
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Post by swamprat on Sept 16, 2018 9:01:15 GMT -6
There were recently two moon-transits of the Sun that have been photographed, but that should not cause any shutdown.....
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Post by swamprat on Sept 17, 2018 8:53:12 GMT -6
Nothing to see here, folks. Move along! Sunspot Solar Observatory will re-open this weekBy Paul Scott Anderson in HUMAN WORLD | SPACE | September 16, 2018
AURA said the decision was made to shut down the Sunspot Solar Observatory in New Mexico because of “criminal activity” and concern about a possible threat to the safety of local staff and residents.
UPDATE SEPTEMBER 17, 2018, at 00:50 UTC (September 16 at 7:50 p.m. CDT): The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) issued the following statement about the status of the Sunspot Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico. The observatory has been closed – and residents and staff have been asked to stay off the mountain – since September 6. The statement said Sunspot Solar Observatory will transition back to regular operations as of Monday, September 17. The AURA statement said:
"On September 7, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) made the decision to temporarily vacate the Sunspot Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico, as a precautionary measure while addressing a security issue. The facility closed down in an orderly fashion and is now re-opening. The residents that vacated their homes will be returning to the site, and all employees will return to work this week.
AURA has been cooperating with an on-going law enforcement investigation of criminal activity that occurred at Sacramento Peak. During this time, we became concerned that a suspect in the investigation potentially posed a threat to the safety of local staff and residents. For this reason, AURA temporarily vacated the facility and ceased science activities at this location.
The decision to vacate was based on the logistical challenges associated with protecting personnel at such a remote location, and the need for expeditious response to the potential threat. AURA determined that moving the small number of on-site staff and residents off the mountain was the most prudent and effective action to ensure their safety.
In light of recent developments in the investigation, we have determined there is no risk to staff, and Sunspot Solar Observatory is transitioning back to regular operations as of September 17th. Given the significant amount of publicity the temporary closure has generated, and the consequent expectation of an unusual number of visitors to the site, we are temporarily engaging a security service while the facility returns to a normal working environment.
We recognize that the lack of communications while the facility was vacated was concerning and frustrating for some. However, our desire to provide additional information had to be balanced against the risk that, if spread at the time, the news would alert the suspect and impede the law enforcement investigation. That was a risk we could not take."
earthsky.org/human-world/why-sunspot-solar-observatory-nm-closed-fbi
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