Portal:Mars/Selected article/June 2008
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Percival Lawrence Lowell (March 13, 1855–November 12, 1916) was a businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars, founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and formed the beginning of the effort that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death. The choice of the name Pluto and its symbol were partly influenced by his initials PL.
Lowell was the descendant of the Boston Lowell family and had a brother and sister. He graduated in 1872 from Noble and Greenough School and Harvard University in 1876. He traveled through the Far East, particularily Korea and Japan. He later became determined to study Mars and its famed canals. He moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, where he drew maps of the canals at Lowell Observatory. In the last eight years of his life, he searched for Planet X. He was buried on Mars Hill. After his death, Clyde Tombaugh would go on to discover Pluto at Lowell Observatory.
