Mars Hill Quick Report: July 25-31
Welcome back to the Mars Hill Quick Report, a bite-sized weekly news update from Lowell Observatory! Each week, we’ll give you the short version of upcoming events at Lowell and beyond, plus a little dash of history.
News
☆ Tuesday, July 19
New Star Stuff episode: The Art of the Night Sky
Star Stuff sits down with fiber artist Arline Martens and current principal of Dark Sky Partners Chris Luginbuhl to discuss the NIGHTVISIONS art exhibit currently on display at the Coconino Center for the Arts. Tune in to hear how the striking beauty of dark skies can inspire some truly incredible and unique works of visual art!
☆ Wednesday, July 27
ASU Marston Theater Virtual Night Sky Presentation
Summer is here and we are hitting the road to explore the cosmos! Come along as the Marston Theater team will be broadcasting live from the Lowell Observatory. We will share some of the best places for stargazing and astronomy across Arizona.
*Please note this presentation will run for approximately 90 minutes
☆ Thursday, July 28
LIVE Interactive Stargazing | YOU Direct Our Telescope
Get ready for the BRAND NEW Interactive Stargazing 2.0: Discover the skies with Lowell Observatory expert educator and TikTok star Hannah Zigo, live from our Giovale Open Deck Observatory. Make requests for objects you want to see in the night sky! Get even more in-depth knowledge of the night sky with each object we observe through our 14″ PlaneWave CDK telescope, informative presentations, and live chat interaction, all from the comfort of your home! It’s stargazing, reimagined.
*Note: Programming may be canceled due to inclement weather.
This Week in History
☆ July 25, 1851
First-Ever Photograph of a Total Solar Eclipse Taken
The first photograph of a total solar eclipse in history was taken by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski, a Prussian man known for his ability talent in taking daguerreotypes—an early photographic process employing an iodine-sensitized silvered plate and mercury vapor. He captured the historic image during a total solar eclipse in Königsberg, which is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Berkowski was commissioned to do so by Royal Prussian Observatory. The image was considered state-of-the-art for the time and improved scientific understanding of solar eclipses.
