- New Mexico State Road 6563
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State Road 6563
Sunspot Scenic Byway Route information Maintained by NMDOT Length: 15.530 mi[1] (24.993 km) Major junctions South end: Sacramento Peak National Solar Observatory North end: 
NM 130 near CloudcroftLocation Counties: Otero Highway system State Roads in New Mexico
SR • Minor SR • USState Road 6563, also known as the Sunspot Scenic Byway,[2] is a 15.530-mile (24.993 km) long two-lane state highway in Otero County, New Mexico, United States.
Contents
Route description
NM 6563 begins at the National Solar Observatory at Sunspot in the Lincoln National Forest. [3]
NM 6563 is one of only three four-digit state highways in New Mexico (the others being SR 1113 and SR 5001).[1] It takes its number from the wavelength (6563 Å) used by scientists at the observatory to locate areas of interest on the Sun.
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.[4]
History
The highway was designated a National Forest scenic byway on October 6, 1990.[5]
Major intersections
The entire route is located in Otero County.
Location Mile[1] Destinations Notes 0.000 NM 130 (Cox Canyon Highway) – Cloudcroft, MayhillSouthern terminus Sunspot 15.530 Sacramento Peak National Solar Observatory Northern terminus 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi References
- ^ a b c "State Routes". New Mexico Department of Transportation. http://www.nmshtd.state.nm.us/upload/images/CHDB/State%20Routes.pdf. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ^ Herow, William C. (April 1997). America's Scenic Drives: Travel Guide & Atlas. Roundabout Publications. p. 259. ISBN 9781885464286. http://books.google.com/books?id=RD_JupWDvNgC. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – NM 6563 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=State+Hwy+63%2FState+Hwy+65%2FSunspot+Hwy&daddr=Corona+Loop&hl=en&geocode=FTKe9gEdWmOy-Q%3BFf5W9AEdRlCx-Q&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=16&sll=32.789259,-105.818896&sspn=0.005376,0.013797&ie=UTF8&ll=32.909568,-105.827179&spn=0.343569,0.883026&z=10. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ^ National Solar Observatory. "Sizing Up Your Solar System". http://www.nso.edu/staff/dooling/solar_system/. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
- ^ National Optical Astronomy Observatories Newsletter. The Observatories. 1989. http://books.google.com/books?id=HXXvAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
External links
Categories:- Transportation in Otero County, New Mexico
- State highways in New Mexico
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