Newport Magnetic Observatory

Newport Magnetic Observatory is a remote geomagnetic monitoring station in the Colville National Forest, about ten miles from Newport, Washington, in the United States.

About Newport Magnetic Observatory

Run under the USGS Geomagnetism Program on a special-use permit with the US Forest Service, the station is not an optical observatory but a facility for measuring the Earth's magnetic field. Its vector and scalar magnetometers feed data used for main-field modelling, space physics research and space weather hazard assessment.

History

The observatory was established in 1966 near Bead Lake in the Colville National Forest, and during the later Cold War it was designated one of three US-Soviet test-ban treaty observation stations.

Instruments & monitoring

Alongside its magnetometers, the station carries an infrasound-monitoring instrument that detects low-frequency acoustic waves from volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, meteors, storms, auroras and nuclear explosions, part of a wider effort to track nuclear tests, earthquakes, tsunamis and geomagnetic storms.

Location & getting there

The site lies within the Colville National Forest near Bead Lake, roughly ten miles from the town of Newport in north-eastern Washington state.

Visiting Newport Magnetic Observatory

This is a working scientific station rather than a visitor attraction, and public access is limited; check with the USGS Geomagnetism Program before planning any trip to the site.

See your named star from here

Newport Magnetic Observatory doesn't host public telescopes, but a star you've named with Star Register still has fixed coordinates you can find from anywhere, including this corner of Washington. Look it up in our catalogue, or see our packages to name one for yourself or as a gift.