Naval Observatory and Flagstaff

Elizabeth Roemer at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, ca. 1950s-1960s. 

Dr. Roemer at her desk at the Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, ca. 1960s. 

In 1957, Dr. Roemer began her career at the United States Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Her work consisted primarily of using the 40-inch astrometric reflecting telescope to recover lost comets. Dr. Roemer quickly established herself as the foremost expert regarding comets and she recovered over 79 during her career. In 1964 while working at the Naval Observatory, Dr. Roemer discovered the minor planet 1930 Lucifer, and after that she referred to her "Guardian Angel Lucifer" in correspondence to colleagues and friends. Dr. Roemer became the acting director of the Naval Observatory in 1965 until she relocated to the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1966. In her oral history from 1989, she stated that she enjoyed her time at the Naval Observatory, but she felt that she needed a change of scenery. She was also unaccustomed to living in a smaller town like Flagstaff and felt, at times, that it was difficult to fit in because of the close bonds that everyone else seemed to have. In her short time at the Naval Observatory, Dr. Roemer completed groundbreaking comet research and also broke barriers as one of the first female directors of the USNO.