Astronomers watched in awe last week as a growing wildfire crept up the slope of Arizona to Keith Peak National Observatory, forcing 40 people to evacuate days before the blaze destroyed four buildings early Friday morning.
The blaze, known as the Contreras fire, burned more than 18,000 acres, swirling among indigenous areas near Tucson, and scientists may not be able to return to the observatory for weeks. But dozens of his telescopes remained safe as of Sunday afternoon, officials said, and only four buildings not used for research were destroyed.
Firefighters detained 40 percent of the fire’s perimeter, despite an excessive southwest heat wave that slowed their efforts, and because the fire did not cause significant damage to the area, the local community of Pan Tak, which evacuated, was preparing to return. Fire crews will continue to patrol the area.
Although the fire has increased and the threat to the observatory appears to have diminished, the imminent call represents a new aspect of climate disasters: the threat to science and research.
Dr David Schlegel, an astrophysicist at a research group that relies on Kitt Peak’s state-of-the-art Mayall Telescope, said greater fire damage that could still be found among technological equipment could “halt the progression of cosmology”. for years to come ”
The fire, which was ignited by lightning, has already caused significant disruption to scientists and residents of the surrounding community.
“Instead of doing work last week, for the most part it’s like being at war – you’re completely distracted by what’s going on,” said Dr. Schlegel. He added that everyone knew about the fire days before it broke out, but that “there is absolutely nothing you can do.”
Mount Kit, located in the Tohono O’Odam nation, is the first astronomical observatory in the United States, funded by the National Science Foundation, and is recognized worldwide as a landmark in astronomy, said Dr. Schlegel.
Dr. Schlegel works in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument program, which used the observatory to map the universe in order. Simply assembling the technology requires about 600,000 ordered parts, he said.
Before the fire reached the scientific structures, firefighters cleared flammable materials around them as a form of protection. But exposure to high heat may have affected the equipment in ways that were not immediately apparent.
“There will probably be damage from smoke or dust entering the telescope and instrument,” said Dr. Schlegel. But, he added, if any of this made the observatory shut down for a few months, “that would be much better than having to start over.”
The damaged buildings are mostly dormitories where researchers and students will sleep after spending whole nights using telescopes and other equipment.
The communities in the area are unclear, although they are close, said Dr. Michelle Edwards, associate director of the observatory. She visited the observatory on Saturday, accompanied by firefighters in protective clothing.
Dr Edwards said she had observed “scattered fire on top of the summit” and damage to the road leading to the mountain, as well as to the observatory’s electrical systems. Scientists may not be able to return for at least six weeks unless a major weather change, such as a thunderstorm, helps put out the blaze, she said. The 10-day forecast for Keith Peak includes chances of rain from Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The observatory has remained closed to the public since the beginning of the pandemic due to respect for Tohono O’Odham’s social gathering policies. The nation reduced these precautions on June 1, and Dr. Edwards had begun planning to reopen the observatory. Now it’s much further back, she said.
Dr. Evgenia Shkolnik, an associate professor of astrophysics at the School of Earth and Space Research at Arizona State University, said her students were conducting research at the observatory and that losing access to it would hit them hard.
When telescopes are at risk, “our work is at stake,” Dr. Scholnik said. “But it can also be very emotional. We also have wonderful memories there. There we trained our students, trained and made great discoveries. We have personal and emotional attachments to our telescopes. “
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