Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

WEIRD: FBI closes National Solar Observatory over mysterious ‘security issue’
Watts Up With That ^ | September 12, 2018 | Anthony Watts

Posted on 09/12/2018 9:54:20 PM PDT by House Atreides

UPDATE 9/12/18 4PM PST The issue may be related to Mercury (the metal, not the planet). On a tip from a science journalist friend who covers telescopes and who has been there, I verified the observatory uses a vat of liquid mercury as a float bearing for the giant solar telescope. According to an internal NSO/NMSU document, that bearing is “high-risk” during maintenance. If there was a major mercury spill, it might explain why the Feds are there, with FBI providing security. The amount of Mercury is said to be in the “tens of gallons” range, which is next to impossible to come by in the commercial market these days, and if it were weaponized, it would make a very nasty dirty bomb. Perhaps there’s some security issue with the mercury on-site.

The mysterious and sudden closure of the National Solar Observatory in New Mexico is sending alien hunters into a frenzy as the facility remains shut without explanation. The research institute in Sunspot was evacuated last Thursday along with a nearby United States Postal Service office for unexplained ‘security reasons.’

A spokesperson for the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) which manages the observatory said the evacuation was a precautionary measure due to a security issue. “It was our decision to evacuate the facility,”spokeswoman Shari Lifson added....

...

(Excerpt) Read more at wattsupwiththat.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; US: New Mexico
KEYWORDS: 1moretime; aliens; callingartbell; fbi; maunderminimum; mercury; newmexico; observatory; solarminimum; sunspots; telescope; valentinazharkova
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-109 next last
To: LegendHasIt
Why do they over-hype anything?

Control? Keep people scared over minor things?

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. H. L. Mencken

41 posted on 09/13/2018 5:24:58 AM PDT by BwanaNdege
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: House Atreides

Interesting article about mercury bearings in old lighthouses:

http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2014/03/mad-as-a-lighthouse-keeper-not-the-solitude-but-the-mercury/


42 posted on 09/13/2018 5:42:40 AM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: House Atreides

The mercury story is certainly plausible but why is the FBI involved unless someone spilled it as a terrorist act or was trying to steal it? The EPA would seem to be the more likely agency to take action.


43 posted on 09/13/2018 5:48:39 AM PDT by RJS1950 (The democrats are the "enemies foreign and domestic" cited in the federal oath)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

That is not mercury. It is unobtanium the gov’t got from the aliens at Roswell....


44 posted on 09/13/2018 6:33:27 AM PDT by minnesota_bound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: LegendHasIt

Agreed. I’m still wondering how one “weaponizes” it (per article mention, above).

The only way I know of weaponizing Hg is to convert it to Methyl Mercury. An energy intense and expensive conversion.


45 posted on 09/13/2018 6:42:55 AM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (Catastrophic, Anthropogenic Climate Alterations: The acronym explains the science.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: BwanaNdege; LegendHasIt

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Fear

“A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.”

Basically, if you can keep the people in fear, you can keep yourself (or in this case, the Feds), in control. And that’s what they want more than anything. More than peace, more than friends, more than family - they NEED control.


46 posted on 09/13/2018 6:57:47 AM PDT by ro_dreaming (Chesterton, 'Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It's been found hard and not tried')
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: RJS1950

So why are all the other Solar Observatories offline, even NASA is not displaying anything current?


47 posted on 09/13/2018 7:07:25 AM PDT by dpetty121263 (Solar Observatories)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: House Atreides

Last week SETI and other radio observatories announced they were receiving radio signals from another galaxy to the tune of 300 signals amounting to 400 terabytes of data..


48 posted on 09/13/2018 7:12:54 AM PDT by dpetty121263 (Solar Observatories)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ro_dreaming
“A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.”

Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.

The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort.”

Robert A. Heinlein

49 posted on 09/13/2018 7:56:24 AM PDT by BwanaNdege
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: dpetty121263
Well ok but why are the other two Solar Observatories also closed that are located elsewhere? Something they do no want us to know....

They just discovered that the Sun is not making Sunspots....Ice Age Imminent.

50 posted on 09/13/2018 8:12:16 AM PDT by spokeshave2 (TrumpÂ’s building an underground railroad - a way off the plantation to freedom, jobs, and dignity)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: House Atreides

That is a better excuse than “Anthrax.” ha ha.


51 posted on 09/13/2018 8:43:34 AM PDT by Vermont Lt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lonesome in Massachussets

Where it would go right to the bottom. And it would be sucked up by a vacuum in about a week.

Good plan, right there. /ha ha.


52 posted on 09/13/2018 8:49:39 AM PDT by Vermont Lt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Vermont Lt; Larry - Moe and Curly
From the Q tread today:

“... Chinese infiltrators perhaps?” This seems to be the going rumor now. Large quantity of Chinese foreign exchange students at the college “spying” on White Sands/Holloman - given up by DiFi’s Chinese-spy driver.

Post Office was closed because that’s how they were communicating.

1,966 posted on 9/13/2018, 9:46:58 AM by Larry - Moe and Curly (Loose lips sink ships.

53 posted on 09/13/2018 10:25:58 AM PDT by spokeshave2 (TrumpÂ’s building an underground railroad - a way off the plantation to freedom, jobs, and dignity)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: cynwoody

Thanks for that. A broken thermometer was great fun when we were kids.


54 posted on 09/13/2018 10:29:51 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Consensus isn't science.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: spokeshave2

55 posted on 09/13/2018 10:34:28 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Consensus isn't science.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Hugin

The Lewis and Clark expedition carried mercury in their supplies. It was administered by Capt. Lewis to some of the men who contracted the clap from dallying with the natives.


56 posted on 09/13/2018 10:39:31 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Consensus isn't science.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: Hoosier-Daddy

Gee do you think Feinsteins spy could be involved”


57 posted on 09/13/2018 10:42:20 AM PDT by jetson (TOTAL)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: dpetty121263

58 posted on 09/13/2018 10:47:25 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Consensus isn't science.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: dpetty121263

What about anyone with a sun filter on their telescope as well as foreign observatories and local planetariums?

Have they all stopped looking at the sun?


59 posted on 09/13/2018 10:53:44 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Consensus isn't science.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: saintgermaine

FBI = Counterintelligence.

Wouldn’t be surprised to learn the observatory was used as a listening post by foreign governments, and there was someone at the observatory facilitating that as a spy.

Seems like the most likely scenario.


60 posted on 09/13/2018 10:57:05 AM PDT by RinaseaofDs
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-109 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson