![]() (Pluto itself was discovered in 1930, across town at Lowell Observatory). In 1978, the 1.55-m telescope was used to "discover the moon of dwarf planet Pluto, named ' Charon'". The telescope is used in both the visible spectrum, and in the near infrared (NIR), the latter using a sub-30- kelvin, helium-refrigerated, InSb ( Indium antimonide) camera, "Astrocam". KSAR rides in the arms of an equatorial fork mount. This status will change when the NPOI four 1.8-meter telescopes see their own first light in the near future. Congress appropriated funding in 1961 and it saw first light in 1964. The 1.55-meter (61-inch) Kaj Strand Telescope (or Kaj Strand Astrometric Reflector, KSAR) remains the largest telescope operated by the U.S. The Navy provides stewardship of the facility, land and related dark sky protection efforts through its Navy Region Southwest, through Naval Air Facility El Centro. NOFS (with parent USNO) also do fundamental science on the UKIRT Infrared telescope in Hawaii. At an elevation of approximately 7,500 feet (2,300 m), NOFS is home to a number of astronomical instruments (some also described in the worldwide list of optical telescopes) some additional instrumentation is on nearby Anderson Mesa. Notable events have included support to the Apollo Astronaut program hosted by USGS' nearby Astrogeology Research Center and the discovery of Pluto's moon, Charon, in 1978 (discussed below). Indeed, despite a half-century-young history, NOFS has a rich heritage which is derived from its parent organization, USNO, the oldest scientific institution in the U.S. Flagstaff and Coconino County minimize northern Arizona light pollution through legislation of progressive code – which regulates local lighting. NOFS is adjacent to Northern Arizona's San Francisco Peaks, on the alpine Colorado Plateau and geographically above the Mogollon Rim. ĭark-sky operations at the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (NOFS) Site description NOFS remains active in supporting regional dark skies, both to support its national protection mission, and to promote and protect a national resource legacy for generations of humans to come. NOFS has had 6 directors since 1955 its current and 7th acting director is Dr. Art Hoag became its first director in 1955 (until 1965) both later were to also become directors of nearby Lowell Observatory. John Hall, Director of the Naval Observatory's Equatorial Division from 1947, founded NOFS. The United States Naval Observatory, Flagstaff Station celebrated its 50th anniversary of the move there from Washington, D.C. This, multiplied by the large number of cataloged objects that must then be reduced for use, and which must be analyzed after observation for a very careful statistical understanding of all catalog errors, forces the rigorous production of most extremely precise and faint astrometric catalogs to take many years, sometimes decades, to complete. Multiple observations of each object may themselves take weeks, months or years, by themselves. Also, owing to the celestial dynamics (and relativistic effects ) of the huge number of such moving objects across their own treks through space, the time expanse required to pin down each set of celestial locations and motions for a perhaps billion-star catalog, can be quite long. Work at NOFS covers the gamut of astrometry and astrophysics in order to facilitate its production of accurate/precise astronomical catalogs. NOFS science supports every aspect of positional astronomy to some level, providing national support and beyond. The Flagstaff Station is a command which was established by USNO (due to a century of eventually untenable light encroachment in Washington, D.C.) at a site five miles (8.0 km) west of Flagstaff, Arizona in 1955, and has positions for primarily operational scientists ( astronomers and astrophysicists), optical and mechanical engineers, and support staff. ![]() NOFS and USNO combine as the Celestial Reference Frame manager for the U.S. It is the national dark-sky observing facility under the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). The United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station ( NOFS), is an astronomical observatory near Flagstaff, Arizona, US. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |