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.[4]
On September 6, 2018, AURA voluntarily evacuated the site of Sunspot for security reasons.[6] This prompted the formation of multiple conspiracy theories, including presence of aliens, military intelligence operations, impending solar storms, and FBI raids.[7] These all originated from false information provided by the local sheriff.[8]
A local TV station provided a call-in from a supposed employee with a disguised voice,[9] 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.[10] 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.[11] During the course of the investigation, AURA had decided to evacuate the site and terminated the contract that had been held by the janitor.[12] 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.[13] 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."[7][14] Of these 4, NSF determined to keep Sunspot in operation in partnership with New Mexico State University.
