In addition to an observatory that hosts periodic public viewing nights, the Physics Department also has additional research observatories: Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (ALO) and the Bear Lake Observatory (BLO).
Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (ALO)
The Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (ALO) is used by the Rayleigh Lidar Group "Green Beam" managed by Vincent Wickwar, and the Na Lidar Group "Gold Beam" managed by Tau "Titus" Yuan.
Both groups utilize the ALO to take detailed measurements in the mesosphere (the area of the atmosphere that is too high for airplanes and balloons, but too low for satellites). This advances research in areas like global warming, atmospheric temperature, among others, which validates satellite data and contributes to a fuller understanding of the dynamics of the upper atmosphere.
Bear Lake Observatory (BLO)
The Bear Lake Observatory (BLO) is a mid-latitude upper atmospheric-ionospheric observatory that supports satellite and other ground-based measurement campaigns. They gather data on all-sky airglow imaging, temperature mapper, meteor radar winds, rocky mountain chain, airglow tomography, and RIFS.
