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Lowell Observer the Quarterly Newsletter of Lowell Observatory Celebrating 125 Years

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Lowell Observer the Quarterly Newsletter of Lowell Observatory Celebrating 125 Years THE ISSUE 115 SPRING 2019 LOWELL OBSERVER THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF LOWELL OBSERVATORY CELEBRATING 125 YEARS “The shoveling today marks the first step on the next 125 years of Lowell Observatory research and co-discovery,” said Percival Lowell’s great grandnephew Lowell Putnam at the groundbreaking ceremony, Saturday, Sept. 29 on Mars Hill. IN THIS ISSUE 2 Director’s Update 2 Trustee’s Update 3 GODO Update Breaking Ground for the GODO By Bonnie Stevens, Editor of Flagstaff Business News Michael Beckage was 11 years granduncle Percival Lowell. “Percival’s old when the night sky changed his request of us to do astronomical life. Peering through a high-precision research also meant engaging the public telescope, he observed the golden-ringed in the wonder and joy of discovery. In magnificence of Saturn. The mesmerizing his opinion, it was imperative that the 5 Dispatches from the Universe moment never left his heart or mind. researcher explain and present their The Seal Beach, California resident now work in such a way as to allow others to 6 New Names on the Moon sets up telescopes on the town’s pier to be, in his word, ‘co-discoverers.’ Today, 7 2018 DON Tour share the enchantment of the universe we gather to start the creation of a with neighbors and visitors. He also serves world-class venue that will help make as Lowell Observatory’s advisory board that happen.” chairman and is a staunch supporter of Longtime Lowell Observatory the facility’s mission to bring the cosmos supporters, advisors and visionaries to the public while conducting world-class John and Ginger Giovale provided research. the project’s lead gift. “Ginger and Beckage, as both the adult who I are excited about the vision that can make a difference and the boy who Lowell Observatory has for creating an was filled with wonder, was among the group of about 100 local leaders, donors, continued on page 11 8 Tombaugh’s Forgotten Legacy astronomers and educators reaching (Part 2) for the stars while standing under the 9 Meet Ken & Audrey Spencer pines on Mars Hill, Saturday, Sept. 29, Star Flung into 10 Farewell Bill, Mica, & Peter celebrating the launch of the Giovale Open Deck Observatory (GODO). Galactic Halo by 11 Ayers Sciences Fund Supports Sole Trustee W. Lowell Putnam Massive Black Hole 5th-Graders welcomed the gathering and noted 100 years of scientific research at 11 Gift Shop Modifications See page 4 for more! the observatory founded by his great 12 Special Events THE ISSUE 115 SPRING 2019 the rest of our guests. After the and en masse. But still, the best talk, his older brother, who way to “co-discover” is to share had earlier asked his own good an observation of the night question about Jupiter’s cloud sky with someone and to talk about what you are looking belts, said to me, “It’s OK—he at. Our staff does that a lot, talks about this stuff at the and an increasing number of dinner table too, and we’re like visitors to Lowell have enjoyed What did you just say?” that experience. This past DIRECTOR’S UPDATE At the conclusion of every TRUSTEE’S UPDATE year, Mars Hill was host to By Jeffrey Hall By W. Lowell Putnam day, someone’s outlook on the nearly 105,000 visitors, mostly at night. The building of the As part of our evening Universe is a little different I noted in my remarks at the GODO, revised road work and programs for the recent lunar because of Lowell Observatory. groundbreaking of the Giovale new overflow parking lot are eclipse, I gave a talk in the Perhaps it’s a professional Open Deck Observatory that all parts of our effort to serve Steele Visitor Center about astronomer who has just Percival was a proponent for the recent exploration of Pluto our visitors better. Many of you read something in one of the researchers also engaging and what is and isn’t a planet, have contributed to help with journals by one of our faculty the general public with their something our visitors are that effort and I thank all of research. In Percival’s time always eager to discuss. One that challenges or provides you. If you have experienced distinction between planets new perspective on a facet of that was primarily through the joy of “co-discovery” and and stars, I noted, is that stars astronomy or planetary science. publishing books and public feel it is important to share lectures around the country with others, please continue to self-generate energy through Perhaps it’s a very young man thermonuclear fusion in and world. Today there help us make Lowell a success who heads home to read more are many more options for and contact our development their cores, principally via the about the proton-proton chain conversion of four hydrogen engagement, both one-on-one office. atoms into one helium atom. and to absorb the difference A nine-year-old raised between atomic number and his hand. How exactly does atomic mass. In either case, day On May 28, 1894, smashing hydrogen atoms by day, person by person, we at Percival Lowell arrived together make rays of light, he Lowell communicate science in in Flagstaff, AZ, wanted to know, and anyway, all its rigor and splendor and, I officially opening why doesn’t the process make hope, change lives for the better Lowell Observatory. beryllium rather than helium? Thus ensued a delightfully as we do. I’m lucky and honored This year we are proud to be celebrating our 125th unexpected discussion of to be a small part of the team anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, we will be nuclear physics with him and making that happen. using a special 125th anniverary logo throughout 2019. GODO Update The GODO site has been cleared of trees and the old water tanks removed. One was taken down piece-by- piece, while the other was detached intact and relocated to Fort Tuthill County Park to be used for rainwater harvesting. Meanwhile, the loop road and technical support facilities site clearing is underway. The loop road, which will start at the southwest corner of the visitor parking lot and exit onto Mars Hill Road just south of the Business Office Building, is being completed now to create a one-way loop in and out of the visitor parking lot for improved traffic flow and safety. The tech facilities site, just Removal of the old water tanks | Image: Dyer Lytle south of the visitor parking lot, is being cleared to make room for the construction of a warehouse to replace the existing garage and provide other needed storage. IT staff C.J. von Buchwald-Wright and Scott Do have installed a construction camera near the GODO site so anyone can keep track of progress. The link is at https://lowell.edu/ godoftp/godo_live.php and the image refreshes every minute. 2 THE ISSUE 115 SPRING 2019 Shy Dustrud, an NAU graduate student in chemistry and a Lowell research assistant, presented a talk on modeling the properties of Titan’s lakes. This picture shows an image of Titan against Saturn, with an image of the Cassini- Huygen spacecraft inserted. | Image: NASA Flagstaff Astronomy Symposium By Phil Massey, Astronomer Lowell Observatory hosted the fourth Eastwood, NAU), to name only a tenth of annual Flagstaff Astronomy Symposium the talks. (FAS) on September 21. Thirty astronomers The FAS came into being in 2015 and planetary scientists from the Flagstaff thanks to David Trilling (NAU) and Phil community gave short presentations about Massey (Lowell). With an ever-growing their recent research to an audience of 80. number of astronomers and planetary This year we had excellent representation scientists in Flagstaff, and the start of from graduate students, postdoctoral the graduate program at NAU, there Dr. Joe Llama recently visited was a need to provide an opportunity researchers, and faculty from Northern Tromsø, Norway to photograph for researchers to meet each other and Arizona University (NAU), the United the Northern Lights. The green learn what everyone was working on. The color is caused by solar particles States Geological Survey (USGS), the format of the program—five-minute talks colliding with oxygen and the red United States Naval Observatory (USNO), followed by two minutes for questions and and Lowell Observatory. Topics were as discussion—was based on the long-running from collisions with nitrogen at an diverse as the 2018 eruption of the Kilauea “Internal Symposium” at the University of altitude of 150 miles above the volcano on Hawaii (Elise Rumpf, USGS), Arizona’s Steward Observatory. surface of the Earth. a summary of 25 years of stellar cycle If anything, the FAS has become a observations (Jeff Hall, Lowell), and a victim of its own success: in 2017 there program aimed at teaching blind students were so many requests for speaking spots broken down into a Fall and a Spring relative dimensions in space (Kathy that the program ran all afternoon to 6 session in order to accommodate the p.m. Starting this year the event is now increased demand. Lowell at DPS Meeting In October, several Lowell staff members joined more than 700 astronomers in Knoxville, Tennessee at the 50th annual Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) meeting. Research by Allison Bair, Tom Bida, Amanda Bosh, Brian Burt, Maxime Devogèle, Ted Dunham, Will Grundy, Jennifer Hanley, Stephen Levine, Michael Mommert, Nick Moskovitz, Dave Schleicher, Brian Skiff, Audrey Thirouin, and Larry Wasserman was featured in numerous presentations, with topics including comets, asteroids, trans-Neptunian objects, the seas of Saturn’s moon Titan, the atmosphere and geology of Pluto, the first confirmed interstellar body in our Allison Bair stands in front of a poster on which she collaborated.
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