The Mauna Loa Solar Observatory, which opened in 1965, sits in lava fields on the volcano's northern flank at 11,250 feet (3,440 meters). Over time instruments from the Climax, Colorado site were moved here to take advantage of the superior viewing conditions. The station provides solar researchers around the world with data from an increasingly sophisticated series of coronameters and sensors. This view is a 1978 aerial shot of the site.
