We still don't know but they are saying that it had been closed because of a "criminal investigation," and that it will reopen on Monday. -- Space.com
KTSM Television is reporting that the Solar Observatory was shut down for child pornography. Apparently, child pornography was traced to an IP address used by the observatory, and a computer in the observatory was found to contain child pornography. A janitor is the main suspect but no arrests have been made. There were only a few employees so I am having trouble believing that they had to shut it down for such a long time for a computer crime, however disgusting.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/09/fbi-new-mexico-observatory-mystery.html FBI: New Mexico Observatory Closed Because of Child Porn Investigation, Not Aliens By Molly Olmstead Sept 20, 201810:48 AM