At Lowell Observatory, research is a fundamental part of who we are. Built on curiosity, empowered by access, and driven by the belief that discovery is meant to be shared, our work pushes the boundaries of human understanding.
Our team of scientists and researchers explore questions that have fascinated humanity for centuries. Though we have a strong heritage in planetary defense and exoplanetary research, Lowell scientists study a myriad of astronomical objects: asteroids and comets within the Solar System, exoplanets and stars throughout the Milky Way, and galaxies across the cosmos. Each discovery sparks new questions, fueling the cycle of exploration.
The Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT) gives us a rare edge: the freedom to act without waiting. We can chase a hunch, respond to unexpected events, or dive deeper into mysteries that demand time and persistence. That independence shapes our research and accelerates progress.
We enable breakthroughs, ask better questions, and support the people daring enough to pursue them. We are a place where science advances with purpose, and where
the public shares in the journey of discovery.
Learn more about our two mission areas of research.
Research at Lowell
In addition to our two “mission focus” areas, Lowell astronomers and planetary scientists work on a variety of topics. Such diversity leads to a healthy scientific ecosystem, and provides a broad range of expertise upon which they can draw. It also opens doors to multiple funding sources. Here are some examples of the research being done at the observatory.
Small Bodies in the Solar System
Clyde Tombaugh discovered numerous asteroids during his search for “Planet X” in the early 1900s. Subsequently, Henry Giclas developed a systematic program for confirming and tracking these “minor planets.” This work was continued and greatly expanded by Ted Bowell in the 1970s and 80s, who then spearheaded the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search (LONEOS). Between 1993 and 2008, LONEOS discovered more than 22,000 asteroids, helping transform our understanding of the Solar System’s small-body population.
Today, Lowell astronomers investigate the physical nature and evolution of asteroids throughout the Solar System. Their research explores how these objects rotate, what they are made of, whether they have small moons, and how their orbits evolve over time. By combining observations from the Lowell Discovery Telescope and other major observatories with sophisticated modeling and extensive databases of asteroid properties, Lowell scientists study everything from tiny near-Earth asteroids, to main belt asteroids, to distant icy objects beyond Neptune — the Kuiper belt. These studies help reveal how the Solar System formed and continue to provide important context for future exploration of the solar system.
The icy objects in the Kuiper belt are left over from the formation of the Solar System. Some remain in the distant Kuiper Belt, while others—known as Centaurs—have migrated inward and exist in a fragile balance in orbits between the giant planets. Lowell astronomers study how these distant worlds rotate, their shapes and surfaces, and how collisions and sunlight have changed them over billions of years, providing clues to the earliest history of our Solar System. Some of these distant icy worlds are eventually pulled into the inner Solar System by the gravity of the giant planets, where they become the spectacular comets that have fascinated observers for centuries.
As these icy visitors approach the Sun, heat causes frozen gases to vaporize, carrying dust away from the nucleus to create the spectacular coma and tail. Lowell researchers investigate this activity by measuring the gases and dust released from comets to determine their composition and better understand the physical processes that drive their evolution. By comparing many different comets over multiple returns, astronomers can trace how these ancient objects change over time and gain new insights into the conditions that existed when the planets were forming.
The Sun and Stars
Stellar astronomy has a long history at Lowell. Beginning in 1905, Vesto Slipher used the Clark Refractor to study binary stars; this work provided the first definitive evidence of the existence of the interestellar medium, gas between stars. Henry Giclas later devoted more than two decades to a pioneering survey of the motions of nearby stars using the telescope that had previously discovered Pluto. Through the long-running Solar–Stellar Spectrograph program, Wes Lockwood and Jeff Hall monitored the spectra of Sun-like stars over many years, helping astronomers understand how stellar magnetic activity changes with time and how the Sun compares with other stars.
Today Lowell astronomers investigate stars across the full range of masses and evolutionary stages, using them as laboratories for understanding the physical processes that shape our Universe. Massive stars manufacture the heavy elements that enrich galaxies and ultimately explode as supernovae, leaving behind neutron stars and black holes. By combining observations from major ground- and space-based observatories and advanced computer models, Lowell researchers determine the properties of these stars, study binary systems to measure stellar masses directly, and trace how stars evolve throughout their lives. Other Lowell scientists investigate the magnetic fields and energetic radio emission of the coolest stars and brown dwarfs, while large astronomical surveys are revealing the properties and histories of millions of stars throughout our Galaxy.
The Milky Way and Other Galaxies
Early work at Lowell played a pivotal role in establishing our modern view of galaxies. Measurements made with the Clark refractor by Vesto Slipher showed that most galaxies are moving away from us at high speeds, laying the observational foundation for the discovery of the expanding universe. Lowell visitors Vera Rubin and Kent Ford made measurements here that led to their discovery of dark matter. These early discoveries laid the groundwork for modern extragalactic astronomy.
Today Lowell astronomers study nearby galaxies—including the Magellanic Clouds and the Andromeda Galaxy—to better understand how stars form, evolve, and eventually die. By combining observations from the Lowell Discovery Telescope with sensitive radio measurements, Lowell researchers have discovered stars forming in the far outer regions of dwarf irregular galaxies, where the gas is much more diffuse than astronomers once thought could support star formation. Theoretical studies of the motions of stars and gas within galaxies help reveal how galaxies form, evolve, and acquire the structures we observe today. Closer to home, astronomers use stellar streams to probe the dark matter structure of the Milky Way, testing predictions of how dark matter is distributed throughout our Galaxy. Together, observations and theoretical models are helping Lowell astronomers understand how galaxies form stars, evolve over cosmic time, and assemble the structures we observe today.
Image credit: Philip Massey
Instrumentation & Technology
Our instrumentation team carries out a variety of work in support of research instrumentation, outreach telescopes, and historic preservation projects. Learn more about our instrumentation research here.