The first magnetic observatory of Honduras: Assessment and magnetic prospecting in 2019–2025

Abstract. Since 2017, the Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Earth Physics at the National Autonomous University of Honduras have led efforts to establish the First Magnetic Observatory of Honduras, which is intended to provide continuous, precise, and permanent measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field in the region. This initiative aims to supply critical data to the international scientific and commercial sectors. However, the project has faced significant challenges, including difficulties in locating a site that satisfies the strict requirements of magnetic observatories, bureaucratic inefficiencies, insufficient financial support, limited local engagement, and restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper highlights the importance of constructing a magnetic observatory in Honduras. It provides an in-depth analysis of four candidate sites: La Tigra National Park, Francisco Morazán (14° 13' 7.24", -87° 5' 16.87"); the First Communications Battalion in Las Mesas, San Antonio de Oriente, Francisco Morazán (14° 2' 23.42", -86° 56' 19.82"); the Francisco Morazán Hydroelectric Power Station in Cortés (15° 02' 07", -87° 45' 04"); and the First Artillery Battalion in Zambrano, Francisco Morazán (14° 15' 09", -87° 25' 23"). The primary objective of this initial stage is to identify a vandalism-free site that meets the stringent magnetic cleanliness criteria required for the installation of an observatory. This process follows the guidelines of the Manual for Magnetic Measurements and Observatory Practices developed by the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy, along with expert recommendations from the INTERMAGNET Digital Geomagnetic Observatories network. The planned instrumentation will enable the observatory to (a) measure the Earth’s natural magnetic field vector free from anthropogenic interference; (b) collect continuous, broadband, absolute, long-term time series data; and (c) monitor the local geomagnetic field and solar-geomagnetic activity on a continuous basis. To achieve these objectives, a multidisciplinary team of faculty and students from the Faculties of Space Sciences and Sciences, in collaboration with experts from the British Geological Survey, has been assembled. Local personnel also gained valuable experience in magnetometry. Furthermore, offers of magnetometer equipment have been received from the Institute of Geophysics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Conrad Observatory in Austria, and INTERMAGNET Digital Geomagnetic Observatories network.