(CNN) — The sudden closure of the Sunspot Solar Observatory in New Mexico has everyone talking – everyone but authorities. The facility focuses on solar research, and its telescope is one of the best ground-based solar observatories in the world. But on September 6, the observatory was evacuated because of a “security issue,” and it remains closed and under FBI investigation. Government officials have not given a clear explanation of what the issue is, however, and this has prompted wild speculation. One popular theory circulating online is that aliens or UFOs could be the reason for the concern. The observatory is about 85 miles southwest of Roswell, where a mysterious object crashed in 1947, launching decades of talk about the wreckage. If y'all could atleast say "This has nothing to do with anything observed in space." That would be awesome, help calm down conspiracy Twitter. — Robert Moose (@RobertMoose) September 13, 2018 Not to worry, according to the FBI, which told CNN affiliate KOAT that extraterrestrial activity is not the problem. Adding to the mystery is that residents around the area were forced to evacuate without any explanation, KOAT reported. “We were told we had a credible threat through the FBI and to leave,” evacuee Sean Williams told the station. CNN contacted the sheriff’s office in Otero County, but a spokesperson said the office is not working with the FBI and couldn’t provide any answers. The FBI transferred CNN’s request for comment to the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), which manages the observatory. Though AURA provided no immediate response, the association had released the following statement: “AURA is addressing a security issue at the National Solar Observatory facility at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico and has decided to temporarily vacate the facility as a precautionary measure until further notice,” read the statement. “All other NSO facilities are open and operating normally. AURA, which manages Sacramento Peak with funding from the National Science Foundation, is working with the proper authorities on this issue.”<doc-sep>A space observatory at the centre of swirling alien conspiracy theories has asked for “patience” as it continues to be locked down. The Sunspot Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico caught the attention of the world when it was shut down by FBI agents who reportedly swooped on the facility after arriving in elite Blackhawk helicopters. It led immediately to suggestions the advanced technology inside of the facility spotted something it shouldn’t – such as proof of extraterrestrials, UFOs or even some baseless speculation that the observatory had spotted that the sun has started dying. The fact the observatory is only about 120 miles from the site of the Roswell UFO incident has only fuelled speculation. Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. 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The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. 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After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars.<doc-sep>On Friday, the entrance to the National Solar Observatory was blocked by yellow crime scene tape and two security guards, who said even they had been kept in the dark. The guards, from Red Rock Security & Patrol in Las Cruces, N.M., did not give their names but said it was the first day the company was guarding the entrance and that only the “director and an assistant” were allowed in. There was no obvious sign of law enforcement activity.<doc-sep>
The mystery as to what exactly is going on at Sunspot Solar Observatory that sits high above White Sands Missile Range has resulted in a media frenzy and a maelstrom of theories, some of which are beyond bizarre. The facility and the small town that supports it were completely evacuated as the FBI descended onto the complex without explanation ten days ago. Not even the local sheriff was informed on what was going on and the place was still officially declared off-limits long after investigators had left. You can read our completely in-depth coverage and analysis on the very peculiar series of events here and here . Now the organization that runs the observatory has put out a statement declaring that it would reopen this week and offering a few new but vague details about the circumstances surrounding the evacuation. "Sunspot Solar Observatory is transitioning back to regular operations as of September 17th On September 6th, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) made the decision to temporarily vacate the Sunspot Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico as a precautionary measure while addressing a security issue. The facility closed down in an orderly fashion and is now re-opening. The residents that vacated their homes will be returning to the site, and all employees will return to work this week. AURA has been cooperating with an on-going law enforcement investigation of criminal activity that occurred at Sacramento Peak. During this time, we became concerned that a suspect in the investigation potentially posed a threat to the safety of local staff and residents. For this reason, AURA temporarily vacated the facility and ceased science activities at this location. The decision to vacate was based on the logistical challenges associated with protecting personnel at such a remote location, and the need for expeditious response to the potential threat. AURA determined that moving the small number of on-site staff and residents off the mountain was the most prudent and effective action to ensure their safety. In light of recent developments in the investigation, we have determined there is no risk to staff, and Sunspot Solar Observatory is transitioning back to regular operations as of September 17th. Given the significant amount of publicity the temporary closure has generated, and the consequent expectation of an unusual number of visitors to the site, we are temporarily engaging a security service while the facility returns to a normal working environment. We recognize that the lack of communications while the facility was vacated was concerning and frustrating for some. However, our desire to provide additional information had to be balanced against the risk that, if spread at the time, the news would alert the suspect and impede the law enforcement investigation. That was a risk we could not take." The nature of how this was done and how the residents were removed from the site without any warning and without any explanation could potentially mean a multitude of things, but it still seems like suspicion of espionage is the likely reason. Also, the most detailed statement we have on what actually went on up there during the investigation is from a highly credible source—the sheriff—and points to this possibility more so than a workplace dispute or something of that nature. “The FBI is refusing to tell us what’s going on,” House said. “We’ve got people up there (at Sunspot) that requested us to standby while they evacuate it. Nobody would really elaborate on any of the circumstances as to why. The FBI were up there. What their purpose was nobody will say.... But for the FBI to get involved that quick and be so secretive about it, there was a lot of stuff going on up there... There was a Blackhawk helicopter, a bunch of people around antennas and work crews on towers but nobody would tell us anything.” As we discussed in our large analysis piece on the event, the facility is very low security—as in not really any at all—yet sits in a highly strategic location overlooking one of America's preeminent weapons test complexes, White Sands Missile Range, and Holloman AFB. Sunspot Solar Observatory has multiple places where sensors, such as antenna aerials, could potentially be planted without drawing outright attention. These could be used to record and intercept electronic emissions related to military activities in, above, and around the valley below. The network the telescope works on could have also been compromised.