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Lowell Observatory

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LynneJ
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Editor Pick

Lowell Observatory - A Must See in Flagstraff

  • April 8, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Tolik from Tampa, Florida
Lowell Observatory - A Must See in Flagstraff

Lowell Observatory is definitely the most famous place in Flagstaff. It is located on the west edge of Flagstaff, on the top of West Mars Hill Road. It is open daily from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, and evenings Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM. Admission $6.00; check the weather forecast before you go because the observatory does not issue rain checks if the sky is clouded. Upon arrival the Observatory guides will invite you to spend some time under the glorious Arizona night sky for some stargazing. After dark, visitors stand in line, sometimes for more than hour, to peer through the 1896 Clark Telescope, located under the observatory's soaring wooden dome. A more contemporary portable telescope is set up outside as well (no line here).
During our visit to Flagstaff they held a wonderful event. On Sunday evening September 2 the observatory welcomed visitors to its annual "Labor Day Star Fest". This special event began at 5 PM with one hour indoor program telling numerous visitors the history of universe 101, and history of the observatory. Bostonian Percival Lowell chose Flagstaff and its strong visibility to build his observatory in 1894. Lowell believed Mars had the capability of supporting intelligent life and his astronomy interests focused on researching that possibility. The observatory drew international attention in 1930 when astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered what has since become known as the dwarf planet Pluto. Vesto Melvin Slipher, Lowell Observatory’s director from 1916 to 1954, gathered here the first evidence of the expanding universe. His brother, Earl C. Slipher, was a famous planetary astronomer who also worked at the Lowell Observatory. His many years of observations of the planet Mars were published in 1962 as The Photographic Story of Mars. One of the more stimulating exhibits at the Lowell Observatory is the Pluto Walk, a 350 foot model of the solar system. We were surprised to find numerous domes through the campus including the Clark Telescope, the Observatory’s original 24-inch refracting telescope, and the Pluto Discovery Telescope.

Meanwhile it was getting dark and numerous telescopes were setup for viewing through Lowell campus (mostly on the small square near the Slipher Building Rotunda museum). We had to wait for some time until the skies cleared out but eventually everybody get his/her chance to enjoy great views of the giant gas planet Jupiter, its four Galilean satellites, and famous constellations from atop Flagstaff's Mars Hill.

From journal Seven Wonders of Flagstaff

Editor Pick

An Educational Afternoon

  • March 23, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by MilwVon from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
An Educational Afternoon

The Lowell Observatory is a privately funded science institute whose mission is astronomical research, dating back to before the 20th century. Founded in the 1880's, this scientific campus is a great historical adventure into the study and discoveries in our and other solar systems. As a matter of fact, this is where Pluto was discovered back in 1930.

Guided tours are offered daily and take about an hour. The docent starts with a leisurely stroll through a courtyard area that is surrounded by a couple of office buildings, several observatory "domes" and a library/museum. Our first formal stop along the foot path was the mausoleum containing the bodily remains of founder Percival Lowell (1855-1916) which by no surprise, is in the shape of an observatory dome. His wife had in constructed to honor and remember her husband's love of astronomy and their live on Mars Hill where the Lowell Observatory campus is located.

Adjacent to the mausoleum is the Clark Dome containing a refractive telescope. Here we learned a lot about how telescopes function and how the observatory itself is constructed to facilitate the viewing of celestial bodies. To see the dome open and rotate so that the telescope can view the sky 360 degrees around was pretty amazing.

From there we walked to the opposite side of the courtyard where the 13-inch Abbott Lawrence Lowell Telescope used to discover Pluto is housed. It was a significantly smaller building, with its lower base constructed of stone. This telescope was used to film images that were compared to identify objects in the sky.

Our last tour stop was the library museum found inside the Rotunda Museum. Here there were several old antique telescopes, some of the scientific research journals and logs, and walls of books and other study materials. This was a very interesting place to explore as it also housed the images of the photos used to identify that Pluto existed back in 1930.

In the main visitors' center is an interactive exhibit area for the young and old; an auditorium that runs a continuous loop video telling more of the Lowell Observatory story; and a gift shop. This is also where you pay your admission fee as tours start and end here. Admission is a very reasonable $6 per person, and just $5 for seniors (65+ and college students) and $3 kids 5-17. (Kids under 5 are free.)

They have different day time and night time programs, requiring separate admission fees, even if done on the same day. For more information on tour times, programming and hours of operation, check out their web site as they do operate on a seasonal schedule: http://www.lowell.edu/outreach/index.php.

From journal Our Return to Flagstaff

Lowell Observatory

  • February 15, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by wanderer 2005 from Phoenix, Arizona
Lowell Observatory

On July 23, 1896, the first specifically designed telescope, the 24-inch Clark Telescope, was used to view the dark skies over Arizona. The Lowell Observtory was built by Percival Lowell in 1894. Percival was an astronomer and mathematician who was in search of clearer skies in order to observe the planets and stars. With the help of AE Douglass, they found this small corner of the world. In 1930, with the help of the Clark Telescope, Clyde Tombaugh discovered a ninth planet, Pluto, finishing the work that Percival started some 25 years earlier.

Today the Lowell Observatory is a big tourist attraction. Is also houses the Discovery Channel Telescope. The observatory still does plenty of research and has pictures of the Hale-Bopp Comet.

It's open all year, at different times during the different seasons. Entrance is $5 for adults.

From journal A City among the Pines

Lowes Observatory

  • February 22, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by LynneJ from Harbor City, California
This observatory was started at the turn of the century when the Boston millionaire, Mr. Lowe, wanted to look for life on Mars. Many of the old telescopes are there. Tours are included with your admission. This is where the planet Pluto was discovered. Beautiful ground, great for kids.

From journal Flagstaff in February

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