The Pierre Auger Project is a collaboration of 17
countries and more then 350 scientists coming
together to study one of the greatest mysteries in
science today, ultra-high energy cosmic rays, the
universe’s highest energy particles. The Auger
Observatory will be located at two sites: the
completed Southern Hemisphere site is located in
Malargue, Argentina and the Northern Hemisphere
site is to be located in southeast Colorado. The
northern site is to be located in a region of 4,000 square miles in the counties of Baca,
Bent, Kiowa and Prowers. When completed, the two sites will allow scientists to “view”
the entire universe and to study the entire sky. Lamar Community College in Lamar was
chosen as the Education and Outreach Host Institute for the northern observatory. The
observatory consists of an array of particle collectors spaced approximately one mile apart
as well as a series of fluorescence telescopes. LCC will host the future administration and
scientific headquarters facility on its campus as well as a permanent visitor center.
Currently one demonstration tank is located on the LCC campus and a second tank at the
Bent County fairgrounds in Las Animas, with future demonstration tanks to be placed in
other locations within the region, encouraging visitors to stop and examine the tanks.
By securing this observatory, southeast Colorado will be home to a world class attraction
and research project. Educational, economic and tourism benefits and opportunities will
be created for this area. SECED assisted scientists with obtaining this site in southeast
Colorado for the observatory. Key figures in this project are Dr. James Cronin, a Nobel
Prize winning scientist from the University of Chicago and a team of scientists from
Colorado State University (CSU) and the University of Colorado as well as Dr. John
Harton, a physicist at CSU. Dr. Harton is currently working with SECED to continue to
develop the southeast Colorado site. Construction on the second observatory
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