THE OBSERVATORY

One of the highlights of my recent trip out west was visiting the Lowell Observatory and peering at a star cluster through the same telescope used by Percival Lowell when studying Mars and later Pluto and the Moon. From the Observatory:

History of the 24-inch Clark Refractor

The Clark Refractor is one of the most storied telescopes in the world, an important piece of scientific, cultural, and American history. Percival Lowell famously used it in his controversial studies of Mars, research that Lowell openly shared with the general public as well as the scientific community. While scientists took opposing views of Lowell’s theories of intelligent life on Mars, the public devoured his ideas. Lowell soon built a cultural consciousness of Martian life, so that to many people, such extraterrestrial intelligence was a foregone conclusion. This idea found its way into the minds of writers, where the developing genre of science fiction incorporated some of Lowell’s ideas.

Progressive research with the Clark continued into the 1960s, when scientists and artists combined their talents to create detailed maps of the Moon. These were critical to understanding the physical characteristics of the lunar surface and were used in support of the Apollo astronauts’ journeys to the Moon. Not only that, but as part of their training, several of the moonwalkers peered through the Clark to familiarize themselves with craters and other lunar features.

The exploration of Mars, the Moon, and the expanding universe is just part of the Clark’s story. It also played an important role in building public awareness and excitement about space, from the casual, walk-in visitor to educational programming by the likes of Walt Disney, Carl Sagan, and Bill Nye the Science Guy.