ABOUT PERCIVAL LOWELL
Distinguished astronomer who studied the canals of Mars and published three books - Mars, Mars and Its Canals, and Mars As the Abode of Life - about his discoveries. He was also a key figure in the discovery of Pluto.
He was a diplomat, serving as special counselor for a Korean diplomatic mission.
The naming of Pluto was influenced by his initials and he founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
He had a brother named Lawrence and a sister named Amy.
He has been described by other planetary scientists as "the most influential popularizer of planetary science in America before Carl Sagan ."
