Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Adam Nimoy, Dr. Alan Stern, David Levy, and David Eicher to Headline Lowell Observatory’s Sixth Annual I Heart Pluto Festival - Lowell Observatory

Adam Nimoy, Dr. Alan Stern, David Levy, and David Eicher to Headline Lowell Observatory’s Sixth Annual I Heart Pluto Festival

Press Release: Adam Nimoy, Dr. Alan Stern, David Levy, and David Eicher to Headline Lowell Observatory’s Sixth Annual I Heart Pluto Festival

The Sixth Annual I Heart Pluto Festival – themed “To Boldly Go Beyond New Horizons” – runs from February 13-17, 2025, in Flagstaff, Arizona. Adam Nimoy, Dr. Alan Stern, David Levy and David Eicher will participate in the keynote Night of Discovery event on February 15.
Flagstaff, AZ — The year 2025 marks the 95th anniversary of Pluto’s discovery in Flagstaff, Arizona, and the 10th anniversary of the New Horizons spacecraft flyby of this storied planet. To celebrate, Lowell Observatory is hosting the Sixth Annual I Heart Pluto Festival from February 13-17.

A Night of Discovery, on the evening of February 15 at the historic Orpheum Theater, is the keynote event of this year’s festival. This is highlighted by a discussion with Adam Nimoy (son of actor Leonard Nimoy), New Horizons Mission to Pluto Principal Investigator Dr. Alan Stern, and comet-hunting legend David Levy. David Eicher, Editor in Chief of Astronomy magazine, will moderate the discussion. Doors open at 6pm and programming is followed with a book signing by the special guests. General admission tickets, as well as a VIP option that allows access to a private reception with the presenters prior to the main program, are available here (https://wl.seetickets.us/event/i-heartpluto-a-night-of-discovery/629870?afflky=OrpheumTheater).

The festival officially kicks off on the evening of February 13 with the dedication of Mother Road Brewing Company’s Pluto-themed beer and a Pluto-themed Astronomy on Tap, both at Mother Road Brewing Company. This will be Mother Road’s fifth I-HeartPluto-themed beer.

The following evening, on February 14, is the Pluto Pub Crawl – a special Valentine’s Day event in downtown Flagstaff. Participants will explore the city’s finest pubs, bars, and brewhouses, which happen to be aligned in the shape of the Pluto symbol. Participants will follow maps to each stop, where they will enjoy custom-made Pluto drinks and specials. At several stops, Lowell Observatory scientists will give science talks, trivia, and more.

On Sunday, February 16, KNAU Science Reporter Melissa Sevigny will host a discussion with Adam Nimoy in Lowell Observatory’s Astronomy Discovery Center about his most recent book, The Most Human, which delves into his complex relationship with his iconic father. A book signing will follow. After this event, Nimoy will introduce For the Love of Spock, a 2016 documentary about his father that Adam directed.

“I’m looking forward to my visit to Lowell Observatory and the Astronomy Discovery Center for their exciting I Heart Pluto Festival,” says Adam Nimoy. “I can’t wait to be overwhelmed by a closer look at the cosmos and to see if there’s anyone else out there! (Hello, Klingons? Come in Talos IV!).”

On Monday, February 17, several scientists and educators will give science programs in the Astronomy Discovery Center. During the festival, Lowell Observatory will also premier new programming in the Astronomy Discovery Center’s Lowell Universe Theater, as well as host other family-friendly science-themed activities.

Also on Monday from 1pm – 6pm, visitors to Lowell Observatory will enjoy vendors, brews, science activities, and more at the “Pluto’s Birthday Bash.” Younger participants will have access to a separate room with kid-friendly activities and face painting.

Dr. Amanda Bosh, Lowell Observatory’s Executive Director, says, “The I Heart Pluto Festival has become a treasured annual event that celebrates northern Arizona’s strong connection with Pluto and its rich astronomical heritage.”

Background of the I Heart Pluto Festival

Flagstaff is often called the “Home of Pluto” because nearly every major research effort surrounding this icy world has ties to northern Arizona—Percival Lowell’s early searches for a ninth planet, “Planet X”; Clyde Tombaugh’s discovery of Pluto on February 18, 1930; Jim Christy’s detection of Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, in 1978; the first observation of Pluto’s atmosphere in 1988; early maps of Pluto’s surface a decade later; the New Horizons flyby of the Pluto system in 2015, and more.

To celebrate this heritage, Lowell Observatory created the I Heart Pluto Festival in 2020. This is a community event that will fall on or near February 18 every year.

A complete schedule of I Heart Pluto Festival events is available at iheartpluto.org/schedule/.

Find a full I Heart Pluto media kit here.