White Sands National Monument

Visible in the distance from Apache Point is White Sands National Monument. Fifty miles away, White Sands is a huge field of white gypsum sand dunes located near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The goal of the National Monument is to protect this unique ecosystem — not only the dunes, but also the plant and animal species that have adapted to this bizarre and ever-changing landscape.

(Photo credit: Mary Saxton)

Here the full moon rises over the Sacramento Mountains that border the White Sands to the east. This Lincoln National Forest mountain range is home to the Apache Point Observatory.