Sunspot
Solar Observatory
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In March of 2010 we were out traveling west in New Mexico. On this trip we got to see the VLA and the Trinity Site where the first atomic bomb was detonated. When in the vicinity of Alamagordo we got to drive up to the Sunspot Solar Observatory located (appropriately) in Sunspot NM. Even though it's New Mexico it was pretty cold as you can see from the snow. One of the trick questions on tests in Introductory Astronomy is something along the lines of "Where's the nearest star?" Of course the answer is "our Sun" and studying it is what goes on here. The site is run by the National Solar Observatory and New Mexico State University. There is one large instrument on site, the Dunn Solar Telescope and many smaller telescopes. There are some legacy instruments there that are maintained more for the public than for serious research. It was hard to tell what was being used for research and what was retired. The road number to Sunspot is 6563 which seems a little odd for a road number. We saw this up on the way to the visitors' center. Seems like that number is a bit large? Well, not coincidentally it is the wavelength of the bright hydrogen alpha emission line in the Sun's spectrum. It is expressed in Angstrom units. Somebody in the road department had a sense of humor..
Links: Sunspot Solar Observatory: New Mexico State University
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