On January 19, 2006, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on an epic journey to the outer solar system. Nine and half years and well over three billion miles later, it is on the final leg of its journey to Pluto, which was discovered at Lowell Observatory by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930.
To celebrate this monumental event, we are calling 2015 The Year of Pluto. Throughout the year, Lowell will present special programming to celebrate New Horizons and its July flyby of Pluto. The events will kick off on February 21, 2015, with a presentation at the Orpheum Theater in Flagstaff by New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern. Additional talks, walking tours, and the unveiling of a special Pluto exhibit will follow.