The Observatory at Climax: Art, Science, and the History of the High-Altitude Observatory
Hanna Ros Shell details the fascinating story of Walter Orr Roberts and the establishment of Fremont Pass Station (the first name given to what became the High-Altitude Observatory) in 1940, atop the Climax Molybdenum Mine outside of Leadville, Colorado. The legacy of the Climax Observatory is explored through the lenses of history, science, and art, and opens into a discussion of its impact on current work at HAO and beyond.
Hanna Rose Shell, a historian of science and art, and a moving image artist, is a Full Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. She created the exhibition, Climax: history, science, art, at NCAR’s Mesa Lab in Spring 2025. The author of multiple monographs, edited volumes and award-winning documentaries, she is currently completing a film about the history of HAO, with the support of a University of Colorado Research & Innovation Seed Grant.