Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

Smiley with 26 West in the background
Location	Balsam Grove, North Carolina
Coordinates	35°11′59″N 82°52′21″W / 35.1996°N 82.8724°W / 35.1996; -82.8724Coordinates: 35°11′59″N 82°52′21″W / 35.1996°N 82.8724°W / 35.1996; -82.8724
Altitude	2,999 feet (914 m)
Established	January 1999 (1999-01)
Website	pari.edu
Telescopes
Solar Telescope Coronado Solarmax 40 optical Polaris Telescope 12-inch Cassegrain optical SPACE Telescope 10-inch Cassegrain optical Furman/PARI Telescope 0.35-meter Cassegrain optical PARSEC Telescope 16-inch Cassegrain optical 26 meter East 327 MHz radio 26 meter West 1.4 and 4.8 GHz radio 12 meter Precision surface 20 GHz radio 4.6 meter "Smiley" 21 cm (1.42 GHz) radio Sun / Jupiter Array Automated tracking 17 to 30 MHz radio Eight Meter Transient Array 29 to 47 MHz radio
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Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) (pronounced perry) is a non-profit astronomical observatory located in the Pisgah National Forest near Balsam Grove, North Carolina. PARI operates multiple radio telescopes and optical telescopes for research and teaching purposes. The observatory is affiliated with the University of North Carolina system through the Pisgah Astronomical Research and Science Educational Center (PARSEC).

PARI is located at the site of the former Rosman Satellite Tracking Station, which was established by NASA in 1962. The site was part of the worldwide Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network and an integral communications link for the manned space programs Project Gemini and Project Apollo. The facility was transferred to the National Security Agency (NSA) in 1981 and, as the Rosman Research Station, was used as an signals intelligence gathering facility. The site was closed by the NSA in 1995 and turned over to the United States Forest Service.

After several years of inactivity, the government proposed to dismantle the facility. Recognizing the utility of the site, a small group of interested scientists and businessmen formed a not-for-profit foundation, which acquired the site in January 1999. Capital investment continues, allowing updates of the equipment for astronomical observation purposes. The observatory maintains a staff of professional astronomers, engineers, and other scientists.

PARI hosts research and study programs with Furman University, Clemson University, Virginia Tech, South Carolina State University and Duke University. The PARI site has hosted several professional astronomy meetings including the Small Radio Telescope Conference in August 2001, the Gamma-Ray Bursts Today and Tomorrow Conference in August 2002 and the Workshop on a National Plan for Preserving Astronomical Photographic Plates in November 2007.