Percival Lowell

Born in Boston in 1855, Percival Lowell came from the prominent Lowell family and graduated from Harvard with a strong interest in mathematics. Before devoting himself fully to astronomy, he traveled widely in East Asia and wrote books about Japan and Korea that helped introduce those places to many American readers.

In 1894 he founded Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, choosing the site for its clear skies and high elevation. There he became famous for his observations of Mars and for arguing that the planet showed a network of canals, an idea that captured the public imagination even though it was later rejected by scientists.

Lowell also pushed for the search for a planet beyond Neptune, sometimes called "Planet X." He did not live to see that work succeed, but the observatory he founded continued the search and Pluto was discovered there in 1930, helping secure his lasting place in the history of astronomy.