The “Forgotten” Solar Observatory in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
The operational history of the observatory begins on May 3, 1967, when detachment number 7 of the 4th Meteorological Wing of the Air Force arrived at the Ramey base in Aguadilla. The mission of two officers and four pilots was to observe solar activity daily in support of air and space programs. By then, the solar observatory, a 10-inch optical telescope pointed at the Sun, had been built and was beginning to monitor the photosphere and develop sunspot maps. At Arecibo, the radio telescope, with the participation of the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory, had been in operation since November 1963. What is the military utility of observing and investigating the Sun? As illustrative data, let us consider the solar storm that occurred in the above month and year. Radars in northern Alaska, Greenland, and the United Kingdom designed to detect Soviet nuclear missiles were suddenly disabled. An attack against them was considered an act of war and was interpreted as such by military comm
