Thank You Lowell Observatory

When Percival Lowell founded the Lowell Observatory back in 1894. Percival didn’t realize what actions he set in motion. Percival Lowell was a man who traveled all over the western United States looking for an ideal location to study the red planets canals. Lowell wanted a high elevation location away from city lights. When Lowell arrived in Flagstaff it was a lumber town, no electricity with a railroad that could transport his large telescope parts. Lowell found his perfect spot to study Mars and would start a catalyst for the finding of “Planet X”. ON February 18, 1930 Tombaugh discovered the tiny and distant planet called Pluto today. Lowell Observatory has received national attention following being marked as a historical landmark from the National Forest Service. Being named in the top 100 most important places from Time magazine and enriching the history of Flagstaff, AZ. Lowell Observatory has had many success from the mapping of Mars, discovering Pluto, mapping the moon’s surface. In the 1960s, a team of scientists and artists used the Clark Telescope to create detailed maps of the moon in support of America’s manned voyages to the moon. Apollo astronauts studied these maps and some even used the Clark Telescope for part of their training to go to the moon. Now in 2015 Lowell Observatory is still educating young minds and capturing the imaginations of kids. Lowell Observatory has their 4^th LOCKs (Lowell Observatory Camp for Kids) for Elementary aged kids. Lowell also has a LOCKs camp for middle aged kids as well with hands on experience learning. They will learn how to identify constellations, how to locate deep-sky objects and how to operate portable telescopes. Other activities will include hiking, drawing, playing games, and more. Lowell Observatory also has been reaching out the Navajo-Hopi Reservations with the Navajo-Hopi Outreach program. They go out to the reservations to help them better understand our universe. They teach them similar items to the LOCKs program. We want to thank Lowells Observatory for all it has given Flagstaff. We want to thank them for teaching our local community’s children about space and beyond. We want to thank the employees, the astronomers, the volunteers and the coordinators at Lowell Observatory for their endless dedication of doing what they love. We are proud to sponsor you and proud to call you family of the Flagstaff community. Want to learn more about how to help Lowell Observatory?