Lowell Observatory

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/lowell-observatory

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Lowell Observatory built?1894
2. Who discovered Lowell Observatory?Discovery of the dwarf planet Pluto in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh
3. What is the location?Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
4. What is the founding figure?Percival Lowell
5. How did Lowell Observatory discover Pluto?In 1930, a scientist named Clyde Tombaugh used powerful telescopes and photographs at Lowell Observatory to compare pictures of the sky taken at different times. He found a faint moving object that turned out to be the dwarf planet Pluto.
6. Why did astronauts visit Lowell Observatory in 1963?In 1963, astronauts went to Lowell Observatory to look at detailed maps of the Moon made by its astronomers. These maps helped the Apollo Program choose safe places to land on the Moon.

Observational Astronomy: The branch of astronomy concerned with the collection and interpretation of electromagnetic radiation from celestial objects.
Trans-Neptunian Object: Any minor planet in the Solar System whose orbit lies beyond that of Neptune.
Topography: The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features over an area.
Scientific Literacy: The ability to understand scientific concepts and processes and to apply them to personal and public decision-making.