Sunspot, New Mexico | |
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![]() Sunspot Visitor's Center and Museum | |
Coordinates: 32°47′28″N 105°49′05″W / 32.791°N 105.818°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New Mexico |
County | Otero |
Elevation | 9,186 ft (2,800 m) |
Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
Zip code | 88349 |
Area code | 575 |
GNIS feature ID | 936625[1] |
Sunspot is an unincorporated community in the Sacramento Mountains in the Lincoln National Forest in Otero County, New Mexico, United States,[1][2] about 18 miles (29 km) south of Cloudcroft. Its elevation is 9,186 feet (2,800 m). The Sunspot Solar Observatory and Apache Point Observatory are located in Sunspot in the Sacramento Mountains.[3] The site of Sunspot is leased by the National Science Foundation (NSF) from the US Forest Service (USFS), and is operated and maintained by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. The telescope and site are both open to the public, and the visitors center offers guided tours of the site on Saturdays and Sundays. On other days there is a self-guided 1/2 mile trail around the telescope and White Sands overlook.