This Observatory In New Mexico Was Suddenly Shut Down For 11 Days... Here's Why

The Land of Enchantment is home to some of the nation’s creepiest incidents. From Roswell to paranormal sightings in ghost towns in New Mexico, it’s no wonder that New Mexicans are quick to wonder if mysterious events are connected to something extraterrestrial. In 2018, an observatory in New Mexico that is home to one of the world’s largest solar telescopes was suddenly shut down and evacuated with no explanation. It was closed for 11 days for what was then called “a security issue;” and its closure drew speculation that authorities were investigating the presence of UFOs. Was the Sunspot Observatory shut down a simple matter, or an otherworldly mysterious event? Let’s take a look…

Fredlyfish4/Wikimedia Commons

Sitting just outside of Cloudcroft in the Sacramento Mountains, this observatory is used to better understand how the Sun affects the Earth. It's home to the Richard B. Dunn telescope which is the main telescope at Sunspot and provides high-resolution images of the Sun. This telescope is one of the largest solar telescopes in the world, and was built by the United States Air Force in 1969.

Kathryn C/TripAdvisor

On a Friday afternoon, the observatory was evacuated and mysteriously shut down. The FBI were on the premises immediately, but would not give word as to what was going on. Even the local sheriff who was called to the scene is not being told why, or if there's anything to worry about. Sunspot's website announced that they would be "temporarily close," not telling anyone how long it might be.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Explore 230,000 Acres Of Trails, Flora, and Fauna At New Mexico's Otherworldly Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge

You'll Find A Wide Variety Of Craft Brews At This Women-Owned Brewery In New Mexico

Get Creative And Customize Your Food Order At Roasted Rooster In Las Cruces, New Mexico

Kathryn C/TripAdvisor

Many locals claim that not much happens here in the wilderness, so imaginations are running wild. With no official explanation of the evacuation, many were left to wonder if this was a government cover-up for aliens, paralleling the incident in Roswell, or if it had to do with spies and the missile range just miles away. Many other presumably far-fetched theories arose amongst the community, too.

Advertisement

NM-state/Wikimedia Commons

Later on, the FBI revealed in an affidavit that the closure happened due to the "activities of an individual who was utilizing the wireless internet service of the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico, to download and distribute child pornography."

The Sunspot Solar Observatory later that it will be transitioning to open its doors once again, and, despite the news from the FBI, many still believed that the observatory's closure was alien-related.

Here in New Mexico, it’s hard to avoid jumping to extraterrestrial conclusions, since our state is home to one of the most controversial incidents in American history. If you didn’t know, the Roswell incident occurred sometime around Independence Day in 1947, when strange materials were found in a ranchers field. After sticks of metal, various scraps, and later, a saucer were found, the U.S. Air Force became involved, and even started doing “dummy drops” in Roswell, said to test the falls of pilots in 1950. Many skeptics believed that these “tests” were really a cover up from the UFO droppings, and now many locals are connecting this mysterious closing with the likes of Roswell.

What do you think happened during the Sunspot Observatory shut down — really? Do you believe that there’s something more to this than meets the eye? Did you know the story behind this abandoned (and now open) observatory in New Mexico? And do you know that there have been other solar observatories closed around the world lately? Let us know your thoughts and theories in the comments.

If you’re looking to embrace the conspiracy theorist in you in a lighthearted manner, you must visit the annual UFO festival in Roswell.