The mysterious shutdown of a space observatory in New Mexico that triggered an FBI investigation was not caused by an alien sighting, the director of the center insisted on Friday.
The sudden evacuation last week of the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot — which caused conspiracy theories to soar — was caused by an undisclosed “security issue,” director James McAteer told the local news outlet KOB.
“[Our] telescope did not see aliens. All data will be made public in its unaltered form. Nothing is hidden or kept secret,” McAteer told the outlet.
The bizarre incident, which also forced nearby residents out of their homes, prompted out-of-this-world theories from true believers, ranging from an extra-terrestrial cover-up to the interception of military signals.
But telescopes at the facility probably aren’t strong enough to spot other forms of life, McAteer said.
And besides, he told Gizmodo: “Any aliens in our vicinity of the universe are very likely microbial.”
He also refuted the theory that the feds were responding to a celestial catastrophe.
“There was no killer solar storm. Solar storms happen all the time. No observations of an imaginary planet,” he said.
He said he has no clue why the feds got involved.
The observatory was still shuttered Friday — and locals remained in the dark.
“We don’t know what [the FBI] took, what their reason for being there was. We have no information on it,” said Sgt. Jon Emery of the Otero County Sheriff’s Office told KOB.
FBI officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.