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The Man of Mars – Percival Lowell and the Invention of the Red Planet

March 26, 2018 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: History and Famous Astronomers

Percival Lowell at his telescope

More than most planets, Mars has captured the public imagination as a place of mystery, a target of exploration, and possibly the only other place in the solar system that may have once harbored life. The planet figured prominently in science fiction, from the early tales of E.R. Burroughs and H.G. Wells to the latest work of Andy Weir. And Mars is now on the radar of hands-on visionaries like Elon Musk who plan to colonize the planet in the coming decades. The popular fascination with Mars began more than a century ago in the fertile imagination of Percival Lowell, a wealthy and intellectually restless astronomer who speculated about intelligent life on Mars and left a lasting legacy for astronomy. [Read more…] about The Man of Mars – Percival Lowell and the Invention of the Red Planet

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Filed Under: History and Famous Astronomers lowell, mars, observatory

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