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Dr. Jeff Hall
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Dr. Jeff Hall Astronomer, Director, Lowell Observatory
TRANSCRIPT:
We've been here in Mars Hill for 117 years. In 1896, Percival Lowell installed the 24-inch Alvan Clark refractor about 100 yards from here on Mars Hill. He was using it to study what he believed was evidence of intelligent life on Mars, the so-called "canals." That telescope is still in service for public observing. We don't use it for research anymore, although it did make one of the fundamental astronomical observations of the 20th century in 1912. The first cosmological red shifts, obtained by astronomer V. M. Slipher, the first evidence of the expansion of the universe, was collected right here. We're most famous for the discovery of Pluto in 1930.
Today, we have 20 Ph.D.-level astronomers carrying out research in all areas of modern astrophysics. So it's a place both rich in history, but that is also a modern and vibrant research institution.
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Is the Discovery Channel Telescope fully operational?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Hall
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Which missions took place after the Apollo 1 tragedy?
Answered by Discovery Channel
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Why are there no stars in photos of the moon landing?
Answered by Discovery Channel
