Platteville Atmospheric Observatory

Platteville Atmospheric Observatory, near Platteville, Colorado, was one of the first major ionospheric heater facilities in the world, built to actively probe the upper atmosphere rather than simply watch the stars.

About Platteville Atmospheric Observatory

Operated from 1968 to 1984 under the Environmental Science Services Administration and led by researcher Bill Utlaut, the facility used powerful HF transmitters to heat and study the ionosphere - the electrically charged layer of Earth's upper atmosphere.

History

During its main operating years the observatory produced some of the first serious high-power ionospheric modification research, studying heater-induced airglow, heater-induced spread F, wide-band absorption and field-aligned ionization. Its transmitters were later loaned to the Office of Naval Research and sent on to the HIPAS facility in Alaska.

Research today

The site continues to operate, though its focus has shifted from ionospheric heating to wind profiling, using instruments to track atmospheric wind patterns rather than the original heater experiments.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits near Platteville, Colorado, on the plains northeast of Denver - a location chosen for atmospheric research rather than public stargazing.

Visiting Platteville Atmospheric Observatory

This is a specialised atmospheric research site rather than a public observatory, so there are no general visiting hours or tours. Anyone with a research interest should contact the operating institution directly for access.

See your named star from here

Platteville's instruments look at the atmosphere between us and the stars, not the stars themselves - but the same Colorado sky above it is home to countless visible stars, including any you've named. If you've named a star through Star Register, you can check its coordinates and browse more of the sky in our star catalogue.