Sunspot, New Mexico

History

Sunspot is an unincorporated community located the Lincoln National Forest which has a diverse range of native flora and fauna including more than 200 species of birds, as well as mule deer.

It was named after the presence of the National Solar Observatory on Sacramento Peak, in a vote that was allegedly rigged by the observatory's director John Evans. The road leading to Sunspot from Cloudcroft is New Mexico State Road 6563, named for the brightest wavelength of hydrogen emission, H-alpha. This scenic byway features signposts marking the relative locations of the planets from the sun in proportion to their distance to Sunspot.

Temporary closure and conspiracies

On September 6, 2018, AURA voluntarily evacuated the site of Sunspot for security reasons. This prompted the formation of multiple conspiracy theories, including presence of aliens, military intelligence operations, impending solar storms, and FBI raids. These all originated from false information provided by the local sheriff.

A local TV station provided a call-in from a supposed employee with a disguised voice, although this was later found to be faked by the reporter. On September 17 AURA re-opened Sunspot, following an investigation into criminal activity involving Apache Point Observatory personnel. Later, court documents reported that the closure was due to threats from the Apache Point Observatory janitor who was subsequently the center of a federal investigation. During the course of the investigation, AURA had decided to evacuate the site and terminated the contract that had been held by the janitor. Apache Point Observatory had not been closed despite the ongoing presence of the suspect at that location during the investigation. The suspect was known by a few others who had been previously removed from Sunspot, or fired. Once the threat was no longer present, Sunspot was reopened by AURA.

Future

On September 24, 2018 Wired magazine published an article on the observatory. It stated that "Assuming New Mexico State gets a contract that goes till 2021, the site’s ultimate future may still be in flux. The National Science Foundation presented four potential ending options, and their impacts, earlier this year." Of these 4, NSF determined to keep Sunspot in operation in partnership with New Mexico State University.

Education

It is zoned to Cloudcroft Municipal Schools.

References

References

1. {{gnis. 936625. Sunspot
2. [http://ocwebserver7.co.otero.nm.us/road/Maps/Area_A_1.pdf Otero County, New Mexico map]
3. "The National Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak". New Mexico Tourism Department.
4. "Sunspot Solar Observatory".
5. Honan, William H.. (November 6, 1999). "John Evans, 90, Ex-Director Of National Solar Observatory". [[The New York Times]].
6. "Closure of National Solar Observatory remains shrouded in secrecy". [[KVIA 7, ABC television affiliate]].
7. (24 September 2018). "The Strange, Sad Case of Sunspot, the Empty Astronomy Town". Wired.
8. (17 September 2018). "Sunspot observatory: Unexplained FBI raid sparks conspiracy theories". The Courier Mail.
9. "Call-in from fake sunspot employee".
10. [https://www.space.com/41852-sunspot-solar-observatory-opening-after-criminal-investigation.html New Mexico Solar Observatory Re-Opening Monday]
11. "Federal search warrant debunks theories behind Sunspot Observatory closure". [[KRQE]].
12. "New Mexico solar observatory". [[The Washington Post]].
13. "Sunspot ex-residents discuss old community problems". [[Wired (magazine).
14. "Environmental Impact Statement for the Sacramento Peak Observatory Sunspot, New Mexico". National Science Foundation.
15. (2002-03-28). "Home". [[Cloudcroft Municipal Schools]].