A couple days ago, I first blogged about a new campaign underway to raise funds for the restoration and renovation of the famous 24-inch Clark refractor at Lowell Observatory. I’m mentioning it again because it’s a tremendously valuable and worthwhile effort that deserves immense support from the amateur astronomy community. I urge you to check out the site here to see more details, and I am posting a Lowell press release below. Please check out the links and explore them this weekend. Your involvement can make a big difference.

Thanks, and enjoy that comet.


Help us “Restore The Clark” by giving to our crowdsourcing campaign on indiegogo.com.

Often called the “People’s Telescope,” more than a million visitors have seen through the world-famous 24-inch Clark Telescope in the past 20 years alone, and it’s time for it to get a complete overhaul.

We launched our 60-day campaign on March 13th because it’s Percival Lowell’s birthday (born in 1855). Just like Uncle Percy, who was under pressure to set up his observatory in time to see a close pass of Mars in the 1890s, we have a mere two months to raise the $256,718.50 needed to completely refurbish the 117-year old Clark.

From Percy’s study of Mars to V. M. Slipher’s detection of the expanding nature of the universe to the Apollo Moon mapping, this telescope is an important and productive icon of American astronomy. Help us keep this telescope productive as a public outreach tool and help ensure that millions more will get the chance to experience the telescope and its spectacular optics in the century to come.

We are very eager to make this campaign successful. Lowell is a private, nonprofit institution based in Flagstaff, Arizona, and dedicated to excellence in research and outreach. Our resources are always stretched thin, and we need your help with this critical project. Each donor will receive a special perk commensurate with their gift, such as the exclusive 3-D lucite etching of the Clark.

For more about the Clark Telescope, click here.

Thanks for helping and we hope to see you soon on Mars Hill!

Help Us Restore The Clark!