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
Foothill Observatory night from 9 to about 11 pm. Foothill Observatory Foothill Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Peninsula Astronomical Society and Foothill College. It is located on the college's campus in Los Altos Hills, California (US). The observatory is used by students enrolled in the introductory astronomy lab on campus, which is part of the college's thriving astronomy for non-scientists program, serving over 800 students per year. It is also used for public viewing one evening a week. A new telescope was donated to the observatory and went into operation in 2007. The observatory is generally open to