Sunspot National Observatory: Staff, residents and police are still in the dark

The FBI evacuation of the National Solar Observatory on September 7 sparked confusion and shock, with helicopters and security personnel scrambling to the scene.

Staff at the space centre were forced to leave the facility, while a nearby post office was also cleared by authorities.

Despite police saying the evacuation would be “temporary”, staff at the observatory have still not been allowed to return in the intervening week.

Even the local police and the centre’s management team, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), have not been given details on why the centre was evacuated.