Shumagin Magnetic Observatory

Shumagin Magnetic Observatory sits on Popof Island near Sand Point, Alaska, a remote outpost in the USGS network that watches Earth's magnetic field rather than its stars.

About Shumagin Magnetic Observatory

Shumagin Magnetic Observatory is a geomagnetic, not astronomical, research station. It was established in 2003 and is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey's Geomagnetism Program, on land owned by the Shumagin Corporation under a cooperative partnership. The station collects vector and scalar magnetometer data used for Earth main-field modelling, geophysics and space physics research, and space weather hazard assessment.

History

The observatory was established in 2003 to provide increased geomagnetic data coverage across southern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, and is part of a USGS network that currently operates 14 magnetic observatories nationwide.

Location & getting there

Shumagin Magnetic Observatory is located near Sand Point on Popof Island, Alaska, roughly 575 air miles southwest of Anchorage, in a genuinely remote part of the North America region.

Visiting Shumagin Magnetic Observatory

As a scientific USGS research station rather than a public attraction, Shumagin Magnetic Observatory is not set up for visitor tours. It monitors Earth's magnetic field rather than the night sky, so anyone hoping to stargaze should look elsewhere nearby rather than at this facility itself.

See your named star from here

Although this particular station studies geomagnetism rather than the stars, southern Alaska's remote, dark skies are a genuinely good place to look up. Wherever you view from, a named star's coordinates stay the same. Name a star and find it in the catalogue.