About Lowell Observatory

Lowell Observatory is known for its legacy of cutting-edge research ranging from detection of the first evidence of the expanding universe in 1912 and discovery of Pluto in 1930, to modern-day studies of the solar system and beyond with one of the world’s most powerful tools for exploring space, the Lowell  Discovery  Telescope. The observatory is also a center for informal science education, with recent surges in visitation demonstrating the public’s desire to seek out activities that allow them to experience wonder and awe. In itself, this dual identity of Lowell—as a research center that also educates and entertains guests—makes for a unique story and is shared elsewhere here. But there is much more, because Lowell has accomplished this not as a lone organization isolated from the rest of northern Arizona, but as an active, dedicated member of the community.

Lowell has in many ways grown up alongside Flagstaff. Both the city and the observatory trace their beginnings to the southeastern side of the mesa known today by locals as Mars Hill. It was here that the original town site of Flagstaff—established in 1884—was located. “Downtown” was later moved a mile to the east, where the flatter grade proved easier for outgoing trains trying to gather speed. Ten years after Flagstaff’s founding, and only three years after Coconino County was established, Percival Lowell’s assistant, Andrew Douglass, climbed to the top of that same mesa on a cool day in April to observe the quality of the air for telescopic viewing. This was the 11th site he had tested in Arizona, with a goal of finding an ideal location to build Lowell’s observatory. Site 11 proved the most suitable of all the places Douglass had tested in Flagstaff, as well as in Tombstone, Tucson, Tempe and Prescott. Douglass decided to build the facility a half mile to the north of Site 11, where the slope up the mesa was gentler and thus more ideal to build a road upon. When word got out that Flagstaff was the chosen location for the new observatory, 82 community members signed a letter pledging their support. The names represent a who’s who of Flagstaff pioneers—Babbitts, Riordans, Brannens, and others—and the gesture triggered a long, mutually beneficial relationship between the community and observatory.

Lowell and Flagstaff followed parallel, often crossing, paths on their journeys to maturity. As Flagstaff celebrated the growth of Arizona that led to statehood in 1912, Lowell astronomer V.M. Slipher detected the first evidence of the expanding universe. Clyde Tombaugh’s 1930 discovery of Pluto brought unprecedented media attention to Flagstaff, resulting in increased visitation to the area that, like the rest of the country, was suffering through the Great Depression. Such Lowell-related attention has been repeated through the years, with examples including the New Horizons spacecraft’s flyby of Pluto in 2015 and the “Great American Eclipse” of 2017. Visitation not only benefits Lowell but also, of course, Flagstaff in general, with restaurants, hotels, and other attractions all profiting from resulting income. And this will increase in coming years as Lowell embarks on an unprecedented era of expansion to its visitor experience.

The intertwined development of Lowell alongside Flagstaff is evident in other ways. Lowell was the community’s first permanent scientific establishment and helped pave the way for other research organizations to come here to study the area’s rich array of natural resources. Four years after the observatory opened its doors, the first weather station in Flagstaff was established, run by Elizabeth Renoe, wife of future U.S. Senator Henry Fountain Ashurst. Additional research centers followed through the years: the country’s first forest research station, known today as the Fort Valley Experiment Station, in 1908; the Museum of Northern Arizona in 1928; the Atmospheric Research Station at today’s Northern Arizona University in 1952; the U.S. Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station in 1955; the Astrogeology Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey in 1963; and many more. Then there are Northern Arizona University and Coconino Community College, where research is combined with preparing tomorrow’s scientists, and the Flagstaff Festival of Science, the oldest continuously running free science festival in the western hemisphere. All this adds up to science as a major component of the foundation on which Flagstaff is built.

While Lowell helped pave the way for the development of Flagstaff as a scientific community, it also played a leading role in a related effort—establishing the city as a dark skies community. In 1958, scientists at Lowell prepared to add a large telescope to its fleet of research instruments (this, the Perkins Telescope, was the fifth largest in the world at the time; coincidentally, 60 years later, the Lowell Discovery Telescope is the fifth largest telescope in the continental United States). Such an instrument called for the darkest observing conditions possible, and so the scientists talked with members of Flagstaff’s city council, who enacted a regulation limiting the use of searchlights in the area. This was the world’s first lighting ordinance and served as the first step in establishing Flagstaff as a leader in dark sky protection. In 1989, Coconino County passed the world’s first law restricting both the type of light and amount of light per acre, and in 2001 the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) recognized these ongoing efforts by naming Flagstaff the world’s first International Dark Sky City. IDA Executive Director David Crawford said at the time, “No other city or town has shown such an overall commitment to protecting the quality of its dark skies, not only for the observatories, but for all the citizens of northern Arizona.”

Like any organization, Lowell Observatory is only as good as the people working there. And Lowell has been home to generations of exemplary employees, so many of whom have recognized the value of serving not only their employer but their community. Astronomer E.C. Slipher set a great example, serving on numerous committees and boards around town and even taking on the duties of mayor from 1918-1920. One of the co-founders of United Way of Northern Arizona was Bernice Giclas, onetime employee at Lowell and astronomer Henry Giclas’s wife.  Astronomer Nat White was a founding board member of Coconino Community College and also served on the Flagstaff City Council, and many other observatory staff members have played leading roles in community matters. Much of this may be attributed to the sense of ownership Lowell staff feel for the community and the observatory. Director Emeritus Bob Millis captured the observatory’s unwritten philosophy about this when recalling a statement by longtime Director John Hall (no relation to current director Jeff). When a staff member mentioned being an employee of Lowell, Hall responded, “You don’t WORK FOR Lowell Observatory, you ARE Lowell Observatory.”

During these past 125 years, Lowell Observatory has been recognized as a Registered National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service and an Arizona Treasure by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano; included by First Lady Hillary Clinton in her Save America’s Treasures program; and named by Time magazine in 2011 as one of “The World’s 100 Most Important Places.” If you name a science education show—from Walt Disney’s Tomorrowland Program in the 1950s to modern-day specials on the Science Channel—chances are Lowell, and by extension Flagstaff, have been featured.

The last century-plus has been a great ride for Lowell as both a research institution and member of the Flagstaff community. Yet we see this as just the foundation for what is yet to come. Stay tuned!