Climax Observatory
High-altitude Colorado solar observatory (11,000+ ft) holding the Western Hemisphere's first coronagraph; site of Donald Menzel's solar corona research.
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Climax Observatory
The Climax Observatory, located at well over 11,000 feet in Colorado, was the world's highest permanent astronomical observatory, designed specifically for solar studies and equipped with a coronagraph — the Lyot-invented device permitting observation of the sun's corona without an eclipse [S1]. It was a working site of Donald Howard Menzel's solar research and instrument access.
Sources
[S1] "The Sacramento Peak Observatory 1947-1962 - DTIC" URL: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/pdf/AD0276063.pdf Accessed: 2026-07-10 Claim: Climax, associated with Harvard astronomer Donald H. Menzel, was the world's highest permanent observatory, designed for solar studies and possessing a coronagraph.