Sunspot Solar Observatory In New Mexico Shut Down By The FBI Last Week, Still Closed, Here Are The Theories

The Sunspot Solar Observatory in New Mexico was shut down last week under mysterious circumstances – along with the town post office and several area homes – and going on 10 days later there are still no answers. In addition to all of the wild conspiracy theories about aliens and government cover-ups, so more reasoned possible explanations have started to trickle in.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, on Thursday, September 6, FBI agents swooped into the remote Mexico town, by some accounts in a Blackhawk helicopter and ordered everyone out. The observatory was evacuated, a nearby post office was evacuated, even a dozen or so homes in the area were evacuated. And no one – not the FBI, not the academic consortium that manages the observatory – is saying why. Even local law enforcement has been left in the dark.

So what are the theories?

Aliens

Whenever a telescope, the FBI, a black helicopter, and utter silence from the government all converge on the same story, it can only mean one thing: I’m not saying it was aliens, but it was aliens. Of course, that’s the conclusion being jumped to by untold numbers of bloggers and YouTubers, who are all claiming that the observatory found evidence of alien spacecraft and that the feds are trying to cover it up. One unidentified YouTuber claimed to have seen an alien spacecraft in the area; others are claiming, without evidence, that other observatories around the world were shut down without notice (no legitimate newspaper or website has reported on any other observatories shut down in recent weeks).

The Truth is out there.

'Sunspot Solar Observatory finally releases statement amid mounting conspiracy theories a week after it shut down to address a mysterious 'security issue' – but STILL won't say what's going on.'https://t.co/BT8zVoEKoG

— Lou Dobbs (@LouDobbs) September 13, 2018

Chinese/Russian/Alien? Hacking Of Equipment

This theory was put forth by CNET writer Eric Mack, who opines that perhaps foreign influencers have either hacked the equipment or infiltrated the observatory, perhaps to gain better looks at nearby White Sands Nuclear Missile Range. That theory would square with the tiny tidbit of information given by the observatory: as reported by The Daily Mail, the observatory has said that a “security issue” is the reason for the shut-down.

Mercury Spill

This is a theory of EarthSky writer Paul Scott Anderson. He posits that the poisonous element, which is used in precision scientific equipment, perhaps leaked. That would explain why the area around the observatory, including homes and the post office, were also shut down. Unfortunately, there’s a very big hole in his theory: why would the FBI need to be involved?

Contraband Trafficking

This writer’s own theory is that perhaps a worker at the lab and a worker at the post office were involved in some sort of contraband scheme, perhaps trafficking in proprietary equipment, or maybe dangerous (or even radioactive) materials. If they were working with a foreign government or a terrorist cell, that would, of course, justify the FBI coming into town. And it would justify shutting down the post office and nearby homes.

The Takeaway

In the meantime, nobody is saying for certain why the observatory was shut down, but by all accounts, it’s scheduled to reopen “soon,” and will not only resume its work but will be open to the public once again as well.