Sunspot, New Mexico is a small mountain town in the Sacramento Mountains in Otero County, within the Lincoln National Forest. At an elevation is 9200 feet, it is home to the Sunspot Solar Observatory. Located near White Sands Missile Testing Range and the Alamogordo Air Force Base, residents are no stranger to secretive government operations. But on Thursday the observatory as well as the local post office were evacuated, and rumors are flying as to why.
The post office has been closed until further notice, and its employees have been transferred. Managers of the observatory can't say when that facility will be open again, as well. Local law enforcement seem to be in the dark as well, awaiting any word from the FBI, who seem to be running the show. The FBI are keeping tight-lipped, not even informing the sheriff of the reasons for or details of the evacuation.
Some people believe the closures could have something to do with the Parker Solar probe that was recently launched, suggesting an equipment upgrade of some kind. However, the observatory is only one of many with similar capabilities, so this seems unlikely, especially since the post office was also shut down. If the evacuation is military related, it is presumed that military personnel would be doing the work, and not the FBI. If some kind of espionage was to blame, there should be signs of NSA and CIA involvement. No hazmat gear or quarentines have been reported, so chemical or biological warfare is out. If there was some hazardous material sent through the post office to the observatory, local law enforcement would probably be involved in at least some capacity. Many folks believe that the strange events have something to do with aliens, a conjecture bolstered by the blackhawk helicopters that have been seen in the skies around the town.
My guess is the FBI is testing some new, secret tech, but it would be a lot cooler if there was some kind of extraterrestrial-related incident. Only time will tell if the general public will ever know what's really going on there.