Percival Lowell (1855–1916)
Auteur van Occult Japan: Shinto, Shamanism and the Way of the Gods
Over de Auteur
American astronomer Percival Lowell was born in Boston of a patrician New England family. His sister was the noted poet Amy Lowell. Educated at Harvard University, he established an observatory in Arizona in 1894 (known now as Lowell Observatory). Lowell is best known, however, for his observations toon meer of Mars. His advocacy of the presence of intelligent life on Mars had a considerable impact on astronomy during the early twentieth century. Mars is the only planet in the solar system whose surface is directly visible from earth. Lowell and others spent many long nights peering through telescopes at the planet, and they interpreted the random pattern of light and dark areas as a network of dark lines girdling the red planet. These long dark lines turned out to be optical illusions, as was shown by a number of American spacecraft that took close-up photographs of the planet during the 1960's and 1970's. Lowell, however, was a vocal proponent of the idea that these lines were a network of globe-girdling canals, and the clear implication was that the planet harbored a species of intelligent beings. Although public interest was galvanized by Lowell's discoveries and by his popular books, the astronomy community was less receptive to his ideas. Lowell was also known for his prediction of the existence of a ninth planet in the solar system. That planet, Pluto, was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. (Bowker Author Biography) toon minder
Ontwarringsbericht:
(eng) Full name: Percival Lawrence Lowell
Fotografie: 1904 photograph (LoC Prints and Photographs, LC-USZ62-94153)
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Tagged
Algemene kennis
- Gangbare naam
- Lowell, Percival
- Officiële naam
- Lowell, Percival Lawrence
- Geboortedatum
- 1855-03-03
- Overlijdensdatum
- 1916-11-12
- Graflocatie
- Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA (on nearby Mars Hill)
- Geslacht
- male
- Nationaliteit
- USA
- Geboorteplaats
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Plaats van overlijden
- Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
- Opleiding
- Harvard University (1876)
- Beroepen
- business executive
mathematician
astronomer
author - Relaties
- Lowell, Amy (sister)
Lowell, A. Lawrence (brother)
Lowell, James Russell (cousin)
Putnam, Elizabeth Lowell (sister) - Organisaties
- Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
French Astronomical Society
American Philosophical Society
National Geographic Society
American Geographical Society
American Academy of Arts and Sciences - Prijzen en onderscheidingen
- Jansen Medal (1904)
- Ontwarringsbericht
- Full name: Percival Lawrence Lowell
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Statistieken
- Werken
- 14
- Ook door
- 1
- Leden
- 122
- Populariteit
- #163,289
- Waardering
- 3.6
- Besprekingen
- 2
- ISBNs
- 45
Not that Lowell's ideas where necessarily the scientific consensus. In particular, he presents his vision of an inhabited and be-canal'd Mars as proven beyond reasonable doubt; in actuality it was very much disputed by other astronomers of the time - and of course eventually completely disproved.