Because of their innovative use of motion pictures to study the moon and the sun, the University of Michigan quickly started a collaboration with this new observatory. After the initial attempts to study the moon, the main preoccupation of the observatory was the sun. Measurements of solar prominences using hydrogen, calcium and other elements in the sun's atmosphere.
Energy changes in the solar prominences.
Observations of earth's atmosphere. Such observations were obtained by observing how light from the sun was absorbed. Radio frequency emissions at the time of solar flares. It was driven with a spring clock. That summer, motion pictures were made of the moon with this new observatory.