Climax Observatory Photograph Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of 16 digital copies of photographs taken during the construction of the Climax Observatory. The photographs depict the transport and installation of the observatory dome.
Dates
- 1940
Conditions Governing Use
Users must credit the photographer, Walter Raymond Allen, in any use of these images.
Biographical / Historical
These photographs were taken by Walter Raymond Allen during the construction of the Climax Observatory. Allen worked for the Climax Molybdenum Company during the construction of the observatory. The Climax Observatory eventually became part of the High Altitude Observatory, which joined with NCAR in the 1960s.
Walter Orr Roberts, later first director of NCAR and president of UCAR, erected the Harvard College Observatory's coronagraph in 1940 at Fremont Pass, near the mining town of Climax, Colorado. Situated on the Continental Divide at an elevation of 11,500 feet, the location provided favorable conditions for studies of the solar corona due to reduced atmospheric scattering. The Climax Molybdenum Company donated the land for the Observatory, as well as funds for constructing buildings and a $6,000 grant. Roberts was the sole resident scientist at the isolated mountain Observatory, and he and his wife Janet remained the only residents in the early years.
Extent
16 Items
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection was donated by Jay Sennett, Walter Raymond Allen's grandson, in 2017.
- National Center for Atmospheric Research (U.S.). High Altitude Observatory. Subject Source: Local sources
- Author
- Laura Hoff
- Date
- 2018-05-02
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Archives Repository