National Solar Observatory - Sunspot, NM (April 27,2010)

This morning, we decided to take a trip into the Sacramento Mountains to discover the National Solar Observatory.  We drove through Lincoln National Forest which made us think that we had been transplanted back to Tennessee because of the tall Pine Trees and the mountains on either side of the road. The drive was breathtaking.

The National Solar Observatory is located in Sunspot, New Mexico and is located 10,000 plus feet in altitude. Thankfully, I thought to bring everyone a jacket!!

This building holds a working and active Vacuum Telescope. The day we visited several scientists were working inside the building. We were allowed to walk through and around the telescope. Jeff was disappointed that we didn't get to view the sun via the telescope. However, there were several interactive displays for everyone to learn about the telescope and its purpose. Once we left the building, we continued our self-guided tour around the grounds of the observatory.  The observatory is open 7 days a week during the daytime and is FREE unless you decide to tour the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center houses several highly educational and interactive displays. The price is $10.00 per family, $3.00 per adults, $1.00 for ages 11-17 and children under 11 are free. We decided to have "school" at the Visitor Center. It was a "no brain er" decision when we got our entire family in for $7.00.  I will say that most of the displays are geared for middle to high school students. However, our little ones enjoyed pushing all the buttons and looking at the "cool stuff". 

If you are in the area this is a great place to visit but in our opinion don't go too far out of your way.

On the way back to Oliver Lee State Park, we stopped at a pull-off to enjoy the view of the Tularosa Basin from inside the Lincoln National Forest. The white spot right above the mountain on the left of this photo is White Sands National Park. (see future post)

 Vacuumn Telescope