Beginning in 1905 the observatory made a concerted search for a transneptunian planet, which led to Tombaugh's discovery of Pluto in 1930. His discovery that nearly all these nebulae, now known as galaxies, were apparently moving away from the earth led to Edwin Hubble's work and the discovery of the expanding universe.
Today, Lowell Observatory is one of the best. Percival Lowell founded it in 1894, and the Observatory made its mark in 1930 when Clyde Tombaugh discovered everyone’s favorite non-planet, Pluto. Located on top of a hill overlooking the city, the Observatory has a lot of history. By 1917 he had determined through spectroscopic analysis the radial velocities of most spiral nebulae then known. The Lowell Observatory is THE place for stargazing in Flagstaff. Many discoveries of fundamental importance have been made by the observatory, especially by V. Naval Observatory, and the Naval Research Laboratory. Anderson Mesa is also the site of the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer program, a joint venture of the Lowell Observatory, the U.S. (60-cm) Schmidt telescope used in the search for asteroids and other near-earth objects. (79-cm) reflecting telescopes and a 24-in. Located at the newer nearby Anderson Mesa station are 72-in. reflector used in the visitors' night viewing program. Lawrence Lowell photographic camera used by Clyde Tombaugh when he discovered Pluto, and a 16-in. Sitting on top of Mars Hill Mesa, this observatory will likely change the way you view outer space - in a mind-boggling, and even romantic way. (61-cm) refractor also located at the Mars Hill site are the 13-in. Lowell Observatory If you love the night sky - the stars and the galaxies that live above us, then you do not want to miss Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. The USNO and NOFS are commands within the. NOFS and USNO combine as the Celestial Reference Frame manager for the U.S. Department of Defense, under the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). It is the national dark-sky observing facility for the U.S. Its original telescope, still in operation, is a 24-in. The United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (NOFS), is an astronomical observatory near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA. it was founded in 1894 by Percival Lowell, the American astronomer who popularized the idea that Mars might support intelligent life. Lowell Observatory, astronomical observatory located in Flagstaff, Ariz.