The Berkshire Edge, a local publication in Great Barrington, Mass., published a first-hand account of a visit to the Magdalena Ridge Observatory's 2.4-meter telescope west of Socorro. Writer Judy Isacoff chronicles a day in the life of astronomers at the facility.  

When we look up to the night sky, we see beyond Earth’s protective atmosphere to the planets in our solar system and the universe of stars that comprise our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy. To the eyes of astronomical researchers and faculty at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, New Mexico, there’s a world of Near Earth Objects (NEOs) — and occasional Interstellar Objects (ISOs) — between Earth and space.

Thanks to the whole-hearted welcome extended to me by Eileen V. Ryan, Ph.D., director of the university’s Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO), I broadened my awareness of the study of these natural and human-made bodies. Dr. Bill Ryan, MRO research scientist, joined his wife and collaborator in describing their work with MRO’s 2.4 meter telescope. A responsive team, NMT personnel and guest researchers search for asteroids that could be on a trajectory to collide with Earth and, among other initiatives, observe human-made satellites to determine possible threats. MRO partners with major space agencies tasked with maintaining national security. .... 

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