Keeping an eye on the Sun
The Sunspot Astronomy & Visitors Center is open daily, 9 AM to 5 PM, seven days a week during peak season. The Dunn Solar Telescope observation room is only open on select days. Call the Visitor Center at (575) 434-7190 for the current times and tour schedule. The Visitor Center has a museum with exhibits, gift shop, vending machine and public restrooms. The center is wheelchair accessible.
Upon check-in, visitors will be provided with a Walking Tour Brochure. This map will guide guest on less than a 1/2 mile loop around the grounds.
The Dunn Solar Telescope is the last operational telescope on the site and is open to the public on select days and times. Visitors are encourage to step inside the observing room for an up close look at the instruments used to study the Sun. IF OBSERVING, guest will be able to watch the sunlight travel through the instruments on the tables and see on the monitors what feature of the Sun is being studied.
The Solar System
Scale Model
While driving through the town of Cloudcroft, and along NM Route 6563, you may have noticed blue highways signs bearing the names of the planets. Those are our scale model of the solar system. The concept is similar to a map – the distance from downtown Cloudcroft to the Visitors Center in Sunspot is scaled to correspond to the distance between the Sun and the dwarf planet Pluto. The other planets are placed along that route to scale with their distance from the Sun. Look for them all as you make your way to Sunspot! It may surprise you just how close the Earth is to the Sun on this scale!
Given that it takes approximately 8 minutes, 20 seconds for light from the Sun to travel to Earth, the speed of light on this scale is only 3.24 mph, or about 4.75 feet per second. Driving at 35 mph on NM Route 6563, to scale, you are moving approximately ten times faster than the speed of light – Space is Big!
The Only Road Into Sunspot, NM
Learn about the Sunspot Scenic Byway, the only road in and out of Sunspot, spanning around 15 miles and connecting the town of Cloudcroft to the Sunspot Solar Observatory. Known for its breathtaking mountain views and scenic overlooks, the byway is part of the Lincoln National Forest. You’ll experience many spectacular vistas, a perfect stop during sunset and twilight. Here is an excellent article about our Sun’s light at the end of the day and how long it takes to get dark after sunset. In addition, it will provide a resource on where to find local sunset times.
The Sunspot Scenic Byway >>>
A Note on Facilities:
Sunspot Solar Observatory is a remote location at a high altitude. There is no food available on site, and the only water on site is available from fountains in the Visitors Center.
Contact Info:
Phone: 575-434-7190
email: sunspotsolarobservatory@gmail.com
Directions from Alamogordo:
Take US Rt. 70 East to US Rt. 54 North
From US Rt. 54 N., follow signs for US 82 to High Rolls, Cloudcroft, Lincoln National Forest
Follow US Rt. 82 through to Cloudcroft, NM, about 16 miles
Turn right onto NM Rt. 130
Follow Signs for Sunspot Highway, about 2 miles
Turn right onto NM 6563/Sunspot Highway
Follow NM 6563, about 14 miles
Turn right to stay on NM 6563, follow signs for Visitors Center
NOTE: If you are following directions from google maps, apple maps, gps, etc., it will tell you to turn right from US 82 onto Karr Canyon Road – DO NOT DO THIS. Karr Canyon road is an unmaintained, and sometimes impassable (due to fallen trees) dirt road. You SHOULD NOT drive on dirt to reach our site. There is a paved road the ENTIRE WAY.
