Sunspot, New Mexico

Sunspot, New Mexico
Unincorporated community
Sunspot Visitor's Center and Museum
Sunspot, New Mexico
Coordinates: 32°47′28″N 105°49′05″W / 32.791°N 105.818°W / 32.791; -105.818Coordinates: 32°47′28″N 105°49′05″W / 32.791°N 105.818°W / 32.791; -105.818
Country United States
State New Mexico
County Otero
Elevation 9,186 ft (2,800 m)
Time zone UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
Zip code 88349
Area code(s) 575
GNIS feature ID 936625[1]

Sunspot is an unincorporated community, located in the Sacramento Mountains, in Otero County, New Mexico, United States.[1][2] It is located within the Lincoln National Forest, 18 miles south of Cloudcroft. Its elevation is 9200 feet. The Sunspot Solar Observatory is located in Sunspot in the Sacramento Mountains.[3]

History

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.[4] 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.

The telescope is open to the public, and the visitors center offers guided tours of the site on Saturdays and Sundays. On other days there is a self-guided 1/2 mile trail around the telescope and White Sands overlook.

In 2018, Sunspot Solar Observatory took over the operations of the science from Dunn Solar Telescope and Visitors Center, although AURA maintained operations of the site.

Temporary closure

On September 6, 2018, AURA voluntarily closed Sunspot, including the observatory, post office, and houses temporarily for 'security reasons.'[5] On September 17 it re-opened, following an investigation into criminal activity on Sacramento Peak.[6] News reports on September 19, 2018 indicated that closure was connected threats to personnel working in Sunspot, from a contracted janitor who was subsequently the center of a Federal investigation.[7]. During the course of the investigation, AURA terminated the contract that had been held by the janitor's parents at nearby Apache Point Observatory,[8] which had not been closed despite the presence of the same person at that location. Following the initial seizure of the janitor's laptop, there was a series of safety concerns following his "bizarre" and "frantic" behavior, concluding with the closure of Sunspot.[9]. Once the threat was no longer present, Sunspot was reopened by AURA.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Sunspot, New Mexico". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. ↑ Otero County, New Mexico map
  3. ↑ "The National Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak". New Mexico Tourism Department. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Honan, William H. (November 6, 1999). "John Evans, 90, Ex-Director Of National Solar Observatory". The New York Times. New York: NYTC. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Closure of National Solar Observatory remains shrouded in secrecy". KVIA 7, ABC television affiliate.
  6. ↑ New Mexico Solar Observatory Re-Opening Monday After Criminal Investigation
  7. ↑ "Federal search warrant debunks theories behind Sunspot Observatory closure". KRQE. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  8. ↑ "New Mexico solar observatory:". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 20, 2018. ,
  9. ↑ "Documents: Sunspot janitor told chief of 'serial killer in the area'". Las Cruces Sun News. Retrieved September 21, 2018.


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