A solar observatory in New Mexico was mysteriously evacuated last week and remains shut down until further notice, even as a geomagnetic storm bears down on Earth’s atmosphere.

According to local media, the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, NM has been closed since last Thursday, along with the nearby post office, and employees affected have no idea why.

The FBI has since showed up to the site and Blackhawk helicopters have been seen circling overhead, but officials remain tight-lipped as to what’s going on, saying only that they are ‘addressing a security issue.’

The mysterious activity has sparked conspiracy theories across the internet given its alignment with with this week's solar storm.

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The National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, NM has been closed since last Thursday, along with the nearby post office, and employees affected have no idea why. The mysterious activity coincides with a solar storm, which hit Earth this week

The facility is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), and has been vacant since September 6.

It’s been nearly a week since the initial evacuation, but no details have been released.

Last week, a spokesperson for AURA told the Alamogordo Daily News that they evacuated as a ‘precautionary measure.’

Otero County Sheriff Benny House revealed that even local law enforcement has been kept in the dark, despite being told to stand by.

‘The FBI is refusing to tell us what’s going on,’ House told Alamogordo Daily News.

‘We’ve got people up there that requested us to standby while they evacuate it. Nobody would really elaborate on any of the circumstances as to why.

‘The FBI were up there. What their purpose was nobody will say. But for the FBI to get involved that quick and be so secretive about it, there was a lot of stuff going on up there.

‘There was a Blackhawk helicopter, a bunch of people around antennas and work crews on towers but nobody would tell us anything.’

As of September 11, officials confirmed the facilities were still closed, and would not be reopened until they were given the green light.

‘We were told on September 6th that we would be evacuated along with the surrounding area, we were not told why,’ USPS spokesperson Rod Sturgeon told ABC 7 KVIA.

‘We were just told to be out of the area. We remain suspended until we are allowed to return.’

The mysterious activity has sparked conspiracy theories across the internet given its alignment with with this week's solar storm. A solar storm that could damage power supplies, affect satellites and trigger aurora was expected to slam the Earth's atmosphere Sept 11

Scientists warned earlier this week that a huge hole has opened up in the sun's corona, which could cause damage to power supplies and affect satellites.

It will also likely trigger auroras. Fast moving solar winds are created where the star’s magnetic field opens up into space, captured as vast black regions in satellite imagery.

Charged particles have now made their way out into the solar system and begun to hit the atmosphere of our planet.

The charged, magnetic particles from the solar storm can interfere with machinery in Earth's orbit as well as at the planet's surface, such as GPS systems and radio signals. They can also threaten airlines by disturbing Earth's magnetic field.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a storm watch for a G2-level solar storm which is considered 'moderate' on the 5-level scale (5 is the highest).

Geomagnetic storms are ranked on a severity scale, with G at the bottom, R in the middle and S at the top.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a storm watch for a G2-level solar storm which is considered 'moderate' on the 5-level scale (5 is the highest)

SOLAR STORMS PRESENT A CLEAR DANGER TO ASTRONAUTS AND CAN DAMAGE SATELLITES Solar storms, or solar activity, can be divided into four main components that can have impacts on Earth: Solar flares : A large explosion in the sun's atmosphere. These flares are made of photons that travel out directly from the flare site. Solar flares impact Earth only when they occur on the side of the sun facing Earth.

: A large explosion in the sun's atmosphere. These flares are made of photons that travel out directly from the flare site. Solar flares impact Earth only when they occur on the side of the sun facing Earth. Coronal Mass Ejections (CME's) : Large clouds of plasma and magnetic field that erupt from the sun. These clouds can erupt in any direction, and then continue on in that direction, plowing through solar wind. These clouds only cause impacts to Earth when they're aimed at Earth.

: Large clouds of plasma and magnetic field that erupt from the sun. These clouds can erupt in any direction, and then continue on in that direction, plowing through solar wind. These clouds only cause impacts to Earth when they're aimed at Earth. High-speed solar wind streams : These come from coronal holes on the sun, which form anywhere on the sun and usually only when they are closer to the solar equator do the winds impact Earth.

: These come from coronal holes on the sun, which form anywhere on the sun and usually only when they are closer to the solar equator do the winds impact Earth. Solar energetic particles : High-energy charged particles thought to be released primarily by shocks formed at the front of coronal mass ejections and solar flares. When a CME cloud plows through solar wind, solar energetic particles can be produced and because they are charged, they follow the magnetic field lines between the Sun and Earth. Only charged particles that follow magnetic field lines that intersect Earth will have an impact. While these may seem dangerous, astronauts are not in immediate danger of these phenomena because of the relatively low orbit of manned missions. However, they do have to be concerned about cumulative exposure during space walks. This photo shows the sun's coronal holes in an x-ray image. The outer solar atmosphere, the corona, is structured by strong magnetic fields, which when closed can cause the atmosphere to suddenly and violently release bubbles or tongues of gas and magnetic fields called coronal mass ejections The damage caused by solar storms Solar flares can damage satellites and have an enormous financial cost. The charged particles can also threaten airlines by disturbing Earth's magnetic field. Very large flares can even create currents within electricity grids and knock out energy supplies. When Coronal Mass Ejections strike Earth they cause geomagnetic storms and enhanced aurora. They can disrupt radio waves, GPS coordinates and overload electrical systems. A large influx of energy could flow into high voltage power grids and permanently damage transformers. This could shut off businesses and homes around the world. Source: NASA - Solar Storm and Space Weather Advertisement

'A G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storm watch has been issued for 11 Sep 2018 due to the anticipated onset of coronal hole high speed stream', the space weather centre predicted, meaning it is a fairly minor storm.

One of the more pleasant effects is that the aurora borealis, or northern lights, may be visible at high latitudes in the US and UK.

Very large flares can even create currents within electricity grids and knock out energy supplies.

Solar activity tends to come and go in cycles lasting around 11 years, experts say, and the star is currently experiencing a continuing period of inactivity.

The sun was predicted to reach its 'solar minimum' low point in 2019 or 2020, according to Nasa's calculations.

Solar minimum may enhance the effects of space weather, disrupt communications and navigation, and even cause space junk to ‘hang around', Nasa says.