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New Mexico State Road 6563

Route map:
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(Redirected from Sunspot Scenic Byway)

State Road 6563 marker
State Road 6563
Sunspot Scenic Byway
Map
NM 6563 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NMDOT
Length15.530 mi[1] (24.993 km)
Major junctions
South endSacramento Peak National Solar Observatory
North end NM 130 near Cloudcroft
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew Mexico
CountiesOtero
Highway system
  • New Mexico State Highway System
NM 5001 NM 1
View exiting Sunspot, New Mexico

State Road 6563 (NM 6563), also known as the Sunspot Scenic Byway,[2] is a 15.530-mile-long (24.993 km) two-lane state highway in Otero County, New Mexico, United States.

Route description

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NM 6563 begins at the National Solar Observatory at Sunspot in the Lincoln National Forest. It then travels northward to its northern terminus at NM 130.[3]

NM 6563 is one of only three four-digit state highways in New Mexico (the others being NM 1113 and NM 5001).[1] It takes its number from the wavelength of the Hydrogen-alpha spectral line (6563 Å) used by scientists at the observatory to study the solar chromosphere and to locate solar flares on the Sun.[4]

The solar observatory added signs along the highway in 2011 with the names of the planets as part of a 1:250 million model of the distances between planets in the Solar System.[5]

History

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The highway was designated a National Forest scenic byway on October 6, 1990.[6]

Major intersections

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The entire route is in Otero County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Sunspot0.0000.000Sacramento Peak National Solar ObservatorySouthern terminus
15.53024.993 NM 130 (Cox Canyon Highway) – Cloudcroft, MayhillNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "State Routes" (PDF). New Mexico Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2005. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  2. ^ Herow, William C. (April 1997). America's Scenic Drives: Travel Guide & Atlas. Roundabout Publications. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-885464-28-6. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  3. ^ "NM 6563" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  4. ^ "Sunspot Scenic Byway" (PDF). New Mexico Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  5. ^ National Solar Observatory. "Sizing Up Your Solar System". Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
  6. ^ National Optical Astronomy Observatories Newsletter. The Observatories. 1989. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
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