Lowell Observatory

LOWELL'S MISSION IS TO PURSUE THE STUDY OF ASTRONOMY AND SHARE THE RESULTS WITH THE PUBLIC.

CONTINUING A MORE THAN 125-YEAR-LONG LEGACY OF ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERY, LOWELL OBSERVATORY ASTRONOMERS, PLANETARY SCIENTISTS, AND OTHER RESEARCHERS CONDUCTED FOREFRONT RESEARCH IN MANY AREAS OF ASTRONOMY - FROM THE SUN AND SOLAR SYSTEM TO EXOPLANETS, STARS, GALAXIES, AND COSMOLOGY. IN 2021, LOWELL RESEARCHERS PUBLISHED MORE THAN 125 PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS IN LEADING SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS, ALONG WITH ANOTHER 75 PAPERS IN OTHER VENUES. THEY ALSO GAVE NUMEROUS PRESENTATIONS AT SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES AND PUBLIC OUTREACH EVENTS, AND PARTICIPATED IN MAJOR SCIENTIFIC MISSIONS USING WORLD-LEADING TELESCOPES ACROSS THE GLOBE AND IN SPACE. LOWELL SCIENTIFIC STAFF CONTINUE TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL AT OBTAINING GRANTS IN SUPPORT OF THEIR RESEARCH FROM NASA, THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, AND OTHER AGENCIES. THE 4.3-METER LOWELL DISCOVERY TELESCOPE (LDT) DELIVERED APPROXIMATELY 275 SCIENCE NIGHTS USED BY LOWELL STAFF, AS WELL AS ASTRONOMERS AT OUR PARTNER INSTITUTIONS: BOSTON UNIVERSITY, NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO, AND YALE UNIVERSITY. IN TOTAL, THE LDT FEATURED PROMINENTLY IN NEARLY 90 SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS IN 2021. THE LDT'S GROWING SUITE OF STATE-OF-THE-ART INSTRUMENTS, SUCH AS THE HIGH-PRECISION SPECTROGRAPH EXPRES, ENABLE CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH ACROSS MULTIPLE FIELDS, INCLUDING THE SEARCH FOR EXOPLANETS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE US NAVAL OBSERVATORY AND THE NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY, LOWELL HAS BEGUN A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR UPGRADE OF THE NAVY PRECISION OPTICAL INTERFEROMETER (NPOI) THAT WILL ADD THREE ONE-METER TELESCOPES TO THE EXISTING ARRAY AND COMPLETE OTHER CRITICAL MAINTENANCE AND UPGRADES, GREATLY INCREASING THE SCIENTIFIC PERFORMANCE OF THAT SITE. LOWELL OBSERVATORY ALSO CONTINUED TO OPERATE OTHER SMALLER TELESCOPES AT ITS ANDERSON MESA SITE, AND HAS BEGUN LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF ITS ANTIQUATED 31" TELESCOPE WITH A MODERN 1M TELESCOPE. ACCESS TO LOCAL TELESCOPES EQUIPPED WITH WORLD-CLASS INSTRUMENTS HAS ENABLED SCIENCE THAT COULD NOT BE DONE ELSEWHERE. IN ADDITION, THE OBSERVATORY IS UNDERTAKING A DRAMATIC EXPANSION OF ITS MAIN CAMPUS ON MARS HILL, INCLUDING PRELIMINARY DESIGN WORK FOR A NEW TECHNICAL SERVICES BUILDING THAT WILL GREATLY INCREASE THE INSTRUMENTATION AND ENGINEERING CAPABILITIES OF ITS TECHNICAL STAFF.

LOWELL OBSERVATORY DEVELOPED A PHASED REOPENING PLAN BASED ON CDC GUIDELINES IN RESPONSE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. PUBLIC PROGRAMS MOVED SEAMLESSLY THROUGH ALL THREE PHASES OF THIS PLAN IN 2021, TRANSITIONING FROM PHASE 1 TO PHASE 2 IN APRIL AND FROM PHASE 2 TO PHASE 3 IN NOVEMBER. PHASE 2 CAME WITH A NEW SUITE OF LIMITED-CAPACITY TOURS, INCLUDING A 1.5-HOUR "MARS HILL TOUR" (DAYTIME), A 1-HOUR "DARK SKY TOUR" (EVENING), AND A 2-HOUR "EXPANDING UNIVERSE TOUR" (EVENING). THESE TOURS, WHICH OFTEN REACHED CAPACITY, WERE WELL-RECEIVED BY GUESTS. LIMITED-CAPACITY DYER TELESCOPE PROGRAMS WERE ALSO VERY SUCCESSFUL. NEW TALKS INTRODUCED DURING PHASE 3 INCLUDED "THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS," "THE SECRET LIVES OF STARS," "THE DARK UNIVERSE, AND A FAMILY-FRIENDLY PROGRAM REPLETE WITH SCIENCE DEMOS TITLED "COLORS OF THE COSMOS!". WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, THE OUTREACH TEAM CONTINUED TO OFFER PROGRAMS THROUGH DIGITAL MEANS. LOWELL OBSERVATORY CAMPS FOR KIDS (LOCKS) PROGRAMS RESUMED IN THE SUMMER AFTER AN EXTENDED HIATUS AND SERVED MORE THAN 200 CHILDREN. NINE ADDITIONAL PRESCHOOL CLASSES WERE ADDED TO THE LOCKS - EXPANSION PROJECT, SIX FROM CAVE CREEK, ARIZONA, AND THREE FROM FLAGSTAFF. THE NATIVE AMERICAN ASTRONOMY OUTREACH PROGRAM (NAAOP) TEAM CONDUCTED THEIR CLASSROOM VISITS VIRTUALLY THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR AND HOSTED VIRTUAL SUMMER AND WINTER CAMPS FOR STUDENTS. LOWELL EDUCATORS RETURNED TO THE FLAGSTAFF FAMILY FOOD CENTER (FFFC) TO LEAD SCIENCE ACTIVITIES FOR THE CHILDREN THAT FFFC SERVES. THESE VISITS OCCURRED EVERY OTHER WEEK FROM JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER. THE OBSERVATORY ALSO PARTICIPATED IN SEVERAL LOCAL OUTREACH EVENTS, INCLUDING THE FLAGSTAFF STAR PARTY AND SCIENCE IN THE PARK. PRIVATE EVENTS AND FACILITY RENTALS ALSO RESUMED IN 2021, AND THE EVENTS TEAM PULLED OFF SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL EVENTS BOTH ON AND OFF-CAMPUS.