Star Dust

An account of the world-famous Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona, founded by the distinguished American astronomer, Dr. Percival Lowell. Many important astronomical discoveries have been made here, and here Dr. Lowell's successors are continuing their adventures and studies in the endless Universe.

Dr. Percival Lowell (1855-1916), noted astronomer who founded, directed and endowed the Lowell Observatory, whose insight and genius predicted the existence and the place of the ninth planet Pluto.

The administration, library and laboratory of the Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff.

MORE MYSTICAL perhaps than all other natural phenomena certainly to most of us at least is the great night with its brilliant display of celestial lights; scintillating stars in countless numbers; the moon in its striking phases arching across the heavens; an occasional rocket in fiery flight and the apparent nearness and minuteness, yet, as scientists have divulged, the unbelievable distances and huge proportions of these myriad bodies of light that dwarf in comparison, the earth upon which we live.

It must be with great courage and sacrifice -a lifetime of intensive research and application -that such men as Dr. Percival Lowell have chosen and pursued this most exacting and painstaking profession. Through the magic of marvelous instruments the astronomer has not only been able to observe and study individually and collectively, and chart these hitherto mysterious bodies of light appearing to the naked eye as tiny specks or altogether invisible, but they have been able to make photographic recordings of them for further comparative proof and for the enlightment of all who care to see and know.

Dr. Lowell, eminent Bostonian, traveler, author and astronomer, was born in 1855. He was a profound student of astronomical events from his childhood. As a boy he was the proud possessor of a small telescope, two and one quarter inches in diameter, which he had mounted on the roof of his parents' house. Eager to encourage his interests, young Lowell's parents had given him several books on the subject. During his high school days he frequently visited the Harvard Observatory, and through his college years his greatest interest centered on mathematics, which of course proved of inestimable value in the pursuit of his chosen profession.

Following his college days, Dr. Lowell traveled to many countries as a business man, and his astronomical aspirations, while they undoubtedly burned within, failed to show materially, although he did have a six inch glass along, which was quite an instrument in comparison with the one he possessed as a boy. After his return from the Orient, his activities in astronomy again became evident. Particularly did he follow the work of the Italian, Schiaparelli, and his activities in relation to the planet Mars. And although the Italian's finding had been generally considered lightly by the profession, Dr. Lowell was defnite in his conclusions that Schiaparelli was on the right track in relation to the planet Mars, for which view he himself was later to become noted, especially in declaring that, in his belief, there was evidence of intelligent life on that planet.

The Lawrence Lowell photographic telescope is famous for first recording of the new planet Pluto. This instrument is the gift to the Observatory by the founder's brother, Dr. Lawrence Lowell, president of Harvard University.

An approaching occultation of Mars by the Moon is an interesting sight photographed at Lowell Observatory. The great distance of Mars (although at the time he was close to opposition) makes his disk appear very small compared to the face of the Moon. It will be noted that the whole disk of Mars appears only as a rather small crater on the Moon, which suggests the extreme delicacy of observation required to see the hundreds of canals and other markings on Mars. (Photo by E. C. Slipher.) Realizing that the noted Italian's advancing age along with which inevitably comes dimming eyesight would soon bring his observational activities to an end, Dr. Lowell set out in 1893 in search of a location where he might establish an observatory of his own to build and equip in the most favorable location that could be found a work shop for further research in connection with the planet Mars and other celestial bodies. That he selected Flagstaff, Arizona, as the site is not altogether surprising. Climatically ideal, on the edge of a volcanic mesa, and at an altitude of 7250 feet, this site was surrounded by a dry plateau country and distant from disturbing bodies of water. And the favorable high altitude with clear steady air was then, in his opinion, and has since been proven, to be an ideal spot for telescopic observation. This 700-acre tract, one mile west of Flagstaff on Mars Hill, is 350 feet higher than the city itself, and is covered with a dense young pine forest which largely overcomes the disturbing effects of heat radiation. With a full twenty degrees less night temperature than below in the surrounding valley, the consistent extremely clear nights have made possible many marvelous advances here in the science of astronomy, and since its founding in 1894, the Lowell Observatory has taken the initiative in much of the country's research work, especially that relating to planets and Mars particularly, and this observatory is now recognized as one of the world's outstanding planetary research institutions, thanks to the faithful continuation of Dr. Lowell's principles by those faithful men who succeeded him Dr. V. M. Slipher, E. C. Slipher, Dr. C. O. Lampland and others whose activities since coming here have been both continuous and diversified.

The great planet Jupiter circled with cloudy belts. More massive than all other planets rolled into one, this great planet presents to our view a cloud surface, not a solid crust, overlaid by a heavy, transparent atmosphere of methane and ammonia gases. This cloud surface displays gorgeously colored markings of the most intricate structure and variable nature, but the stuff of which they are composed is still unknown. Jupiter's surface is extremely cold. measuring more than one hundred degrees below zero centigrade. (Photo by E. C. Slipher.) A total eclipse of the Sun on Jupiter. Here one of the Jovian moons, Satellite I, which is nearly as large as our Moon, is passing between the planet and the Sun. The bright spot at the right side of the disk is the Satellite itself, while the dark spot to the left of it is its eclipse shadow. The large oval-shaped ring above the center marks the place where the famous Great Red Spot used to be. (Photo by E. C. Slipher.) The planet that wears a halo. The most beautiful and unique spectacle in the sky is Saturn with its great ring system made of millions of moon bits and extending across 170,000 miles from edge to edge. Saturn like Jupiter, is almost wholly gaseous and covered with a cloud surface of reddish hue a belted surface which is less changeable, but even colder than his neighbor Jupiter. The photographs display three different aspects of the planet as he circles the Sun. In the first we see the southern hemispere of the ball and the south side of the rings; in the second, the rings are edgewise to us and being very thin they disappear and leave the ball ringless; in the third picture we see the northern hemisphere and the north side of the rings. (Photograph by E. C. Slipher.) The great Spiral Nebula in Cetus. It is a whole universe, unthinkably far away, made of countless suns. (Photographed with 24-inch reflector by C. O. Lampland.) Even in Lowell's lifetime many fruitful researches at his observatory had developed outstanding results such as, for example, water vapor and oxygen in the atmosphere of Mars, a surface temperature well above freezing, seasonal waxing and waning of the blue-green areas and a changing canal network; the suggested presence of a dust-laden atmosphere about Venus; determination of the rotation periods of planets and related influences; investigation of many of the satellites; studies of the constitution and nature of comets, and numerous other results which have since been confirmed elsewhere. The early results were not confined solely to his own contributions to astronomy, but embraced numerous other pioneering researches as well, such as spectrum studies of the several planets disclosing facts as to the nature of their atmospheres spectrum studies of the nebulae which discovered their rotation and enormous velocities through space (i. e. the latter being the first detection of the "expansion of the universe") that other nebulae were dust clouds and by direct photographs that some were indeed changing form.

Adding to the fame of Lowell Observatory was the discovery here of the ninth planet, Pluto, accomplished in 1930 and bearing out the studies of Dr. Lowell who mathematically proved many years previous the existence of this planet and likewise had charted where it was to be found in the sky.

Mars, the earth-like planet, proves an interesting subject to the astronomer. These photographs showing three different faces of the planet were made in 1939 at the Lamont-Hussey Observatory, Bloemfontein, South Africa by E. C. Slipher of the Lowell Observatory staff.

The behavior of the snowy poles of Mars is shown in these photographs made in successive nights in 1939. They portray how quickly the hood of cloud at the "autumn" pole (bottom) may dissipate and reform again, while the cap of snow at the "summer" pole (top) very slowly but continuously shrinks in size.. Thus, what we see at the pole in early Martian winter consists chiefly of clouds, while at the summer pole is snow.

Regarding the construction and equipping of Dr. Lowell's observatory, after he had selected the site at Flagstaff, it was necessary to push hurriedly, as in the autumn of 1894, the opposition of the planet Mars, that is to say, its situation, with respect to terrestrial presentation, was to be the most favorable for many years to come. Fortunately an 18-inch refractory telescope was found available, the loan of which was secured and a mounting provided, enabling Dr.

Lowell to begin actual observation as early as May of that year. Two years later, Alvan Clark fulfilled the commission Lowell gave him to supply the finest 24-inch glass he was capable of producing. This new refractory telescope has since been considered the observatory's primary instrument, the one used by Dr. Lowell and therefore is without question one of the world's most famous telescopes. It is of the highest Of possible perfection and has a clear aperture (opening) of 24 inches. Its focal length-the distance of the focus from the surface of the lens is 386 inches. In the summer of 1909 a 42-inch reflecting telescope of high optical perfection was completed, placed in a mounting and put into operation. Supplied with several secondary mirrors, this instrument is capable of being operated at four different focal lengths varying from 18.3 feet to 150 feet. It is also equipped with various auxiliary apparatus. This instrument has given excellent results in the photography of stars, nebulae and planets.

Then in 1929 the observatory erected the powerful Lawrence Lowell search telescope especially designed for photographing Percival Lowell's predicted "Planet X." Within a year, to the amazement of the world, this instrument rewarded its founders by recording on photographs this mathematically predicted, but heretofore unseen planet. After its detection it was found that the new planet had actually been photographed 15 years earlier by a less powerful camera but consequently not recognized then.

Both prior and subsequent to the above date the observatory also has included in its equipment several smaller instruments, such as the 15-inch Petitdidier reflector, two Schmidt telescopes-one with an eight-inch aperture and a 13-inch focus, and the other with a nine-inch aperture and 21 and one-half inch focus. Also at the observatory is a five-inch aperture Brashear photographic doublet (Continued on Page Forty)