How High Can a Monarch Be Seen? Dr. Brower's Flight Height Experiment Dr. Brower filled some balloons with helium. He measured a long string and attached it under the balloons. He also attached a monarch. The monarch had a special harness around its abdomen, so it could move normally. As the balloons sailed up into the sky, he measured the height. He watched the butterfly until it disappeared. When it vanished, he noted the height. Next, he watched with binoculars as he sailed the monarch higher. We interviewed him many years after this experiment. "I don't remember the exact results," he laughed. As best he could recall, the monarch had disappeared from view by the naked eye by the time it reached about 200 feet. It could be seen with binoculars only until about 500-600 feet.   Copyright 2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to jn-help@learner.org