Exit of I-40 onto I-40 Business Loop, near Entrance to U.S. Naval Observatory (Flagstaff Station)
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Image Details
- Source:
- Flickr
- Collection:
- Ken Lund
- Date:
- 2010-12-17 13:25:45
- Region:
-
Arizona, USA
(inherited from collection) - Description:
- The United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (or NOFS), is an astronomical observatory operated as a Navy Echelon V command and the national dark-sky observing Facility subordinate to the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). USNO (an Echelon IV command) and NOFS are commands within the CNMOC claimancy, the latter which serves the U.S. Navy on meteorological and oceanographic matters in addition to overseeing astronomical ones. The Flagstaff Station is a command which was established at a site five miles west of Flagstaff, Arizona in 1955, and has positions for 35 scientists (astronomers and astrophysicists), optical and mechanical engineers, and support staff. NOFS also operates the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer in collaboration with Lowell Observatory and the Naval Research Laboratory at Anderson Mesa, 15 miles south east of Flagstaff. The majority of NPOI operations are funded and managed by NOFS leadership in particular. NPOI is one of the few major instruments globally which can conduct optical interferometry. See an illustration of its layout, at bottom. In 2009 efforts began to finalize acceptance of four additional 1.8-meter telescopes into the NPOI array; acceptance occurred in November 2010. NOFS science covers the gamut of astrometric and astrophysical science in order to facilitate its production of very precise astronomical catalogs, such as USNO-B and NOMAD. NOFS scientists are also members of key DARPA, NASA, NRL, MIT, NRAO, Smithsonian, AMOS, and many other academic and DoD science teams, and observe at, major observatories worldwide—both terrestrially and spaceborne. The NOFS staff is organized into five divisions: Optical, Infrared, Engineering & Site Operations, Digital Catalogs, and NPOI Divisions. Additional management staff serve management, IT, fiscal, administrative, and facilities functions. NOFS is the U.S. Navy's highest-elevation facility. Indeed, despite a half-century-young history, NOFS has a rich heritage which is derived from its parent organization, USNO. At an elevation of approximately 7700 feet, NOFS is home to a number of astronomical instruments (some also described in the worldwide list of optical telescopes): The 1.3 m (51-inch) large-field R-C telescope was initially produced by DFM Engineering and then automated by NOFS staff. Corning Glass Works and Kodak made the primary mirror. The telescope sports a state-of-the art, cryogenic wide-field mosaic camera. It will also permit employment of the new "Microcam", an orthogonal transfer array with Pan-STARRS heritage. The 61-inch Kaj Strand Telescope or 1.55-m Kaj Strand Astrometric Reflector is the largest telescope operated by the Navy since 1964. The Kaj Strand telescope is used in both the visible spectrum, and in the near infrared (NIR), the latter using a helium-cooled InSb (Indium antimonide) camera, "Astrocam". In 1978, the 1.55-m telescope was used to discover the moon of dwarf planet Pluto, named Charon (Pluto itself was discovered in 1930, across town at Lowell Observatory). The 40-inch telescope, the original Station telescope (moved from USNO in 1955), is still in operation after a half century of astronomy at NOFS, including performing key quasar-based reference frame operations, reference support to orbiting space object information, and performing photometric operations support (along with its newer siblings). The 40-inch also can carry a number of liquid Nitrogen-cooled cameras, including a nine-stellar magnitude neutral density spot array, through which star positions are cross-checked before use in detailed NPOI observations. A modern day example of a fully robotic transit telescope is the small 0.2m (8 in) Flagstaff Astrometric Scanning Transit Telescope (FASTT) located at the observatory. FASTT provides extremely precise positions of solar system objects for incorporation into the USNO Astronomical Almanac and Nautical Almanac. These ephemerides are also used by NASA in the deep space navigation of its planetary and extra-orbital spacecraft. This telescope is responsible for NASA JPL's successful 2005 navigation-to-landing of the Huygens Lander on Titan, a major moon orbiting Saturn. NOFS is the U.S. Navy's National Dark Sky Site, and is responsible for the bulk of the astrometric component of DoD and national Position-Navigation-Time (PNT). The United States Naval Observatory, Flagstaff Station celebrated its 50th anniversary of the move there from Washington, D.C. in late 2005.. Each autumn, NOFS opens its doors annually to the public, during the Flagstaff Festival of Science. In 2009, visitor attendance topped 710. NOFS remains active in supporting regional darks skies, both to support its national protection mission, and to promote and protect a national resource legacy for generations of humans to come. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Naval_Observatory_Fla...
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