Clark Telescope at Lowell Observatory

[Douglas Sherman]

This is an image of the 24" refracting telescope at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. The observatory was founded in 1894 by Percival Lowell and the Clark Telescope was built in 1895.

This is recognized as one of the top refracting telescopes in the world. It was used by Lowell to verify canals on Mars which were later disproved and then for the discovery of the Dwarf Planet Pluto by Clyde Tombaugh. Vesto Slipher used it to discover shifts in the spectra of stars and galaxies and later Edwin Hubble used that information to create a formula for determining the distances to objects in deep space. It was used extensively by NASA to study the moon for the first lunar landing and is still used extensively to study stars, comets, and other space objects.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Great piece of technology for the time, and built to last I see. Thanks for sharing.

 

[JimFox]

That's a great shot Doug, and what interesting history. The fact that it is still being used today speaks of great craftsmanship.

 

[AlanLichty]

Really nice lighting for this portrait of the telescope and the observatory. Neat piece of science history.

 

[Douglas Sherman]

Thank you Ben, Jim, and Alan. This is a really neat place so when my grandkids come to visit I take them up to Flagstaff to see the telescope and hear the presentation. This place has a lot of historical significance in the field of astronomy.