Astronomer Biography 3

PERCIVAL LOWELL

Percival Lowell was born on March 13, 1855, into a prominent Bostonian family. He developed interest in many fields during his early schooling, and graduated from Harvard University in 1876 with distinction in mathematics. He traveled around the Far East after graduating, and published several books, including The Sound of the Far East, about his experiences.

After reading La planète Mars by Camille Flammarion and hearing about the supposed Martian canals drawn by Giovanni Schiaparelli, Lowell resolved to devote himself to studying the planet full-time. He decided to build his own observatory using his wealth and resources. He wanted superior conditions so he could make superior observations, so he chose a mesa in Flagstaff, Arizona as the site for his new observatory because of its elevation, clear weather, and distance from lights. This was the first major observatory whose location was deliberately chosen because of optimal conditions for observation.

Lowell obtained some equipment and soon began his work. He published Mars in 1895, in which he supported the presence of canals on Mars and theorized that it was possible that intelligent life existed on the planet. He asserted that the general physical conditions on Mars could allow for life, that there appeared to be arid conditions on Mars so inhabitants would need irrigation systems, and that there were markings on the planet that appeared to be canals. He acknowledged that all this could mean nothing, but personally believed that there was life on Mars.

By 1896 Lowell was observing Mars at night and Mercury and Venus during the day. He took a break from his work when his health deteriorated, but observations at Flagstaff continued. He returned in 1901, and in 1905, he published Mars and its Canals, which was followed by Mars as the Abode of Life in 1908. Both books expanded on his earlier theories; he continued to argue that there was an extensive system of canals on Mars. However, many astronomers did not agree with him, and few believed that the supposed canals were as extensive and regular as Lowell stated. Lowell also supported the idea that the lighter areas on Mars were deserts, while the darker areas were vegetation.

In 1909, the sixty-inch Mount Wilson Observatory telescope revealed that the canals were likely irregular geological features, formed naturally by erosion or other means. The theory was definitively disproved by close-up images taken by Mariner 4 in 1965.

Lowell did not focus solely on Mars. He made maps of Venus and observed unusual features and a dark spot. However, it was later discovered that Venus’s atmosphere was opaque, so these observations were probably imagined; Lowell may have been seeing the blood vessels in his own eye. He confirmed Schiaparelli’s conclusion that Mercury’s rotational period is as long as its orbital period, although later studies revealed that it is actually only two-thirds as long. He helped find an accurate value for Uranus’s rotation and studied the clouds on Jupiter and the structure of Saturn’s rings.

Because of discrepancies in the expected orbits of Uranus and Neptune, Lowell hypothesized that there was an unknown mass near or beyond those planets that was perturbing their orbits. He began a search for this Planet X. This search was not completed during his lifetime, but it led to the discovery of Pluto in 1930. However, Pluto did not have sufficient mass to account for the unexpected orbits of Uranus and Neptune. This was later discovered to be caused by an inaccurate estimate of Neptune’s mass.

Although most of Lowell’s major work turned out to be invalid, he was a very influential astronomer. He started the practice of building observatories at locations with optimal conditions. He was responsible for significantly increasing the general public’s interest in astronomy and especially in Mars. However, his greatest contribution to astronomy was the result of his search for Planet X: the discovery of Pluto.


Works Cited

"Lowell, Percival." Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. 8. Detroit: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 2008. 520-523. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 23

"Lowell, Percival (1855-1916)." The Worlds of David Darling. Web. < http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/L/LowellP.html >.

"Percival Lowell, Astronomer." The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery - Scotland's oldest public museum. Web. < http://www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk/archive/mars/percivallowell.html >.

"Percival Lowell." Lowell Observatory. Web. < http://www.lowell.edu/Research/library/paper/lowell.html >.

"Percival Lowell." Universe Today. Web. < http://www.universetoday.com/guide-to-space/astronomy/percival-lowell/ >.