Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
Encyclopedia
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is an astronomical
observatory
located in the United States
in Balsam Grove, North Carolina
. It is operated as a not-for-profit foundation. PARI is in the Pisgah National Forest
of Western North Carolina at an elevation of 914 m (3,000 ft). The observatory is affiliated with the University of North Carolina
system through the Pisgah Astronomical Research and Science Educational Center (PARSEC) and also hosts research and study programs with Furman University
, Clemson University
, Virginia Tech, South Carolina State University
and Duke University
. PARI operates multiple radio telescopes and optical telescopes for research and teaching purposes. The foundation also sponsors astronomy educational programs using the portable StarLab planetarium
. This program has been presented to over 40,000 people of all ages in Western North Carolina.
PARI is home to the Astronomical Photographic Data Archive(APDA) a site to help preserve astronomical photographic plates. These plates were the primary recording medium for astronomy data from the late 19th century until the 1980s. It is estimated that over two million of these invaluable plates exist in astronomy facilities around the world and are in jeopardy of being destroyed because of a lack of storage facilities.
PARI is located at the site of the former Rosman Satellite Tracking Station founded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1962. The site was part of the worldwide Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network
and an integral communications link for Project Gemini
, and Project Apollo
- the manned space programs. The facility was transferred from NASA to the National Security Agency
(NSA) in 1981 and was used as an intelligence gathering facility for the United States. The site was officially closed by the NSA in 1995 and turned over to the United States Forest Service
. After several years of inactivity, the government proposed to dismantle the facility. Recognizing the potential future use of this site a small group of interested scientists and businessmen formed a not-for-profit foundation and was able to acquire the site in January 1999. Capital investment continues allowing updates of the equipment for astronomical purposed and maintaining a staff of professional astronomers, engineers, and other scientists. 'Friends of PARI' helps support the educational and research goals of PARI.
The principal radio research instruments at PARI are two 26 meter radio telescopes and a 4.6 meter radio telescope named Smiley. These have been adapted for precision tracking of celestial radio sources using multiple frequencies. Smiley is used for remote classroom teaching of astronomy by students in the US and worldwide. Smiley was given its pleasant face around 1982 as a greeting to overflying foreign surveillance satellites
.
The PARI site has hosted several professional astronomy meetings including The Small Radio Telescope Conference in August 2001, and the Gamma-Ray Bursts Today and Tomorrow Conference in August 2002. PARI hosts several educational opportunities, including the Duke University
Talent Identification Program.
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
located in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Balsam Grove, North Carolina
Balsam Grove, North Carolina
Balsam Grove is an unincorporated community located in Transylvania County, North Carolina within Pisgah National Forest and Nantahala National Forest.The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute is located in Balsam Grove....
. It is operated as a not-for-profit foundation. PARI is in the Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Pisgah National Forest is completely contained within the state of North Carolina...
of Western North Carolina at an elevation of 914 m (3,000 ft). The observatory is affiliated with the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
system through the Pisgah Astronomical Research and Science Educational Center (PARSEC) and also hosts research and study programs with Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
, Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, Virginia Tech, South Carolina State University
South Carolina State University
South Carolina State University is a historically black university located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only state funded, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina and is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.- Colleges, departments,...
and Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. PARI operates multiple radio telescopes and optical telescopes for research and teaching purposes. The foundation also sponsors astronomy educational programs using the portable StarLab planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
. This program has been presented to over 40,000 people of all ages in Western North Carolina.
General information
| Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute | |
| Organization | Not-for-Profit Foundation |
| Location | Balsam Grove Balsam Grove, North Carolina Balsam Grove is an unincorporated community located in Transylvania County, North Carolina within Pisgah National Forest and Nantahala National Forest.The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute is located in Balsam Grove.... , North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Coordinates | 35.1996°N 82.8724°W |
| Altitude | 914 m (2985 to 3070 ft) |
| Web page | http://www.pari.edu/ |
| Optical Telescopes | |
| Solar Telescope | Coronado Solarmax 40 |
| Polaris Telescope | 12 inch Cassegrain |
| SPACE Telescope | 10 inch Cassegrain |
| Furman / PARI Telescope | 0.35 meter Cassegrain |
| PARSEC Telescope | 16 inch Cassegrain |
| Radio Telescopes | |
| 26 meter East | 327 MHz for Pulsar research |
| 26 meter West | 1.4 and 4.8 GHz |
| 12 meter | Precision Surface 20 GHz |
| 4.6 meter | Smiley 21 cm (1.42 GHz) |
| Sun / Jupiter Array | Automated tracking at 17 to 30 MHz |
| Eight Meter Transient Array | Joint Virginia Tech / PARI project |
PARI is located at the site of the former Rosman Satellite Tracking Station founded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1962. The site was part of the worldwide Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network
Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network
The Spacecraft Tracking and Data Network was established by NASA to satisfy the requirement for long-duration, highly-available space-to-ground communications...
and an integral communications link for Project Gemini
Project Gemini
Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of NASA, the civilian space agency of the United States government. Project Gemini was conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, with ten manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966....
, and Project Apollo
Project Apollo
The Apollo program was the spaceflight effort carried out by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration , that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon. Conceived during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Apollo began in earnest after President John F...
- the manned space programs. The facility was transferred from NASA to the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
(NSA) in 1981 and was used as an intelligence gathering facility for the United States. The site was officially closed by the NSA in 1995 and turned over to the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
. After several years of inactivity, the government proposed to dismantle the facility. Recognizing the potential future use of this site a small group of interested scientists and businessmen formed a not-for-profit foundation and was able to acquire the site in January 1999. Capital investment continues allowing updates of the equipment for astronomical purposed and maintaining a staff of professional astronomers, engineers, and other scientists. 'Friends of PARI' helps support the educational and research goals of PARI.
The principal radio research instruments at PARI are two 26 meter radio telescopes and a 4.6 meter radio telescope named Smiley. These have been adapted for precision tracking of celestial radio sources using multiple frequencies. Smiley is used for remote classroom teaching of astronomy by students in the US and worldwide. Smiley was given its pleasant face around 1982 as a greeting to overflying foreign surveillance satellites
Spy satellite
A spy satellite is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications....
.
The PARI site has hosted several professional astronomy meetings including The Small Radio Telescope Conference in August 2001, and the Gamma-Ray Bursts Today and Tomorrow Conference in August 2002. PARI hosts several educational opportunities, including the Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
Talent Identification Program.
External links
- Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI)
- Pisgah Astronomical Research and Science Education Center (PARSEC)
- University of North Carolina Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Furman / PARI Telescope Project
- Virginia Tech Eight Meter Transient Array
- Duke University Talent Identification Program
- Clemson University Department of Physics & Astronomy
- South Carolina State University PARI program
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory
General references
- Goldman, Stuart J. "Mission Possible: The Promise of Pisgah." Sky and Telescope Magazine. October 2001:42
- Hargreaves, Lynley. "Spy Station Retooled into Astronomy Institute." Physics TodayPhysics TodayPhysics Today, created in 1948, is the membership journal of the American Institute of Physics. It is provided to 130,000 members of twelve physics societies, including the American Physical Society...
. March 2001 Volume 54, Number 3