The organization in charge of the New Mexico solar observatory that was mysteriously evacuated and shuttered for more than a week attributed the closure to a threat posed by a suspect in a criminal investigation and said the facility will reopen Monday.
In a statement Sunday, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy said employees will return to work after "recent developments in the investigation" convinced officials that there was no risk to the staff.
The association also for the first time provided some details about why the observatory had to be closed, saying in a statement that officials had been cooperating with an inquiry of criminal activity in the area and "became concerned that a suspect in the investigation potentially posed a threat to the safety of local staff and residents."
The sudden evacuation of the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico, on Sept. 6 had spawned online speculation, fueled by authorities' reluctance to provide any information about why the facility was closed.
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