Percival Lowell detail in mid-1896 soon after the Alvan Clark & Sons refracting telescope was installed at his new Flagstaff, Arizona observatory. Lowell observed the planet high in the daytime sky with the telescope's lens stopped down to 3 inches in diameter to reduce the effect of the turbulent daytime atmosphere. Lowell observed spoke-like surface features including a central dark spot, contrary to what was suspected then (and known now): that Venus has no surface features visible from Earth, being covered in an atmosphere that is opaque. It has been noted in a 2003 "Journal for the History of Astronomy" paper and
William Lowell Putnam III January 5, 2014 at the age of 97. He served as sole trustee of Lowell Observatory from 1987 to 2013. During his tenure, the observatory built the Steele Visitor Center, added the Friends of Lowell membership program, constructed the Discovery Channel Telescope, and began construction on the Putnam Collection Center. Putnam died on December 20, 2014, aged 90. William Lowell Putnam III William Lowell Putnam III (October 25, 1924 – December 20, 2014) was an alpinist, author and retired broadcasting executive. He was Trustee Emeritus of the Lowell Observatory, a private astronomical research facility. He was the son of politician