United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station

United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station
USNO Observatory - Flagstaff Station The USNO Seal.
Organization	United States Naval Observatory
Location	Flagstaff, Arizona
Coordinates	35°11′03″N 111°44′25″W / 35.18417°N 111.74028°W / 35.18417; -111.74028
Altitude	7741 feet (2273 meters)
Established	1955
Website http://www.nofs.navy.mil/
Telescopes Kaj Strand Telescope 1.55 m (61 in) reflector DFM/Kodak/Corning 1.3 m reflector Unnamed telescope 1.0 m (40 in) Ritchey-Chretien reflector Flagstaff Astrometric Scanning Transit Telescope 8 inch catadioptric Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer interferometer (Located at Anderson Mesa)

The United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (or NOFS), is an astronomical observatory operated as a dark-sky observing site by the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) ^[1]. The Flagstaff Station ^[2] 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 ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]} in collaboration with Lowell Observatory and the Naval Research Laboratory at Anderson Mesa, 15 miles south east of Flagstaff. See an illustration of its layout, at bottom.

NOFS science covers the gamut of astrometric and astrophysical science ^{[7] [8]} in order to facilitate its production of very precise astronomical catalogs ^[9], such as USNO-B ^{[10] [11] [12]} and NOMAD ^[13]. 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.

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 ^[14]. At an elevation of approximately 7700 feet, NOFS is home to a number of astronomical instruments ^[15] (some also described in the world-wide 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 ^[16]. Corning Glass Works and Kodak made the primary mirror. The telescope sports a state-of-the art, cryogenic wide-field mosaic camera ^{[17] [18]}. 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. ^[19]. 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" ^[20]. 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 ^[21], the original Station telescope (moved from USNO in 1955), is still in operation after a half century of astronomy at NOFS. 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.

Dark-sky operations at the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (or NOFS)

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. ^[22]. 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 DoD and national Position-Navigation-Time (PNT) ^[23].

The United States Naval Observatory, Flagstaff Station celebrated its 50th anniversary of the move there from Washington, D.C. in late 2005. ^[24]. Each autumn, NOFS opens its doors annually to the public, during the Flagstaff Festival of Science ^[25]. In 2009, visitor attendance topped 710 ^[26].

NOFS remains active in supporting regional darks skies ^[27], both to support its national protection mission ^{[28] [29]}, and to promote and protect a national resource legacy for generations of humans to come ^{[30] [31]}.

Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI) Layout

Gallery

The Kaj Strand 1.55m	The wide field 1.3m	The 40-inch Ritchie	The Ron Stone FASTT
The NPOI

References

External links

• United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station

• Additional USNOFS Information

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