Percival Lowell Milan Observatory. In 1894 Lowell chose Flagstaff, Arizona Territory, as the home of his new observatory. At an altitude of over , with few cloudy nights, and far from city lights, Flagstaff was an excellent site for astronomical observations. This marked the first time an observatory had been deliberately located in a remote, elevated place for optimal seeing. For the next fifteen years he studied Mars extensively, and made intricate drawings of the surface markings as he perceived them. Lowell published his views in three books: "Mars" (1895), "Mars and Its Canals" (1906), and "Mars As the Abode of Life"
Lowell (Martian crater) then started observing Mars intensively for years. He used the observatory and his large refractor telescope to discover over 500 canals on Mars. Lowell promoted the idea that they were constructed by an intelligent race of Martians. However, when pictures were received from spacecraft, the canals were found to be optical illusions. Nevertheless, much of the later interest in Mars exploration resulted from the efforts of Lowell. Lowell (Martian crater) The Lowell Crater is a large impact crater on Aonia Terra in the Thaumasia quadrangle of Mars. The crater is about 203 kilometers (127 miles) in diameter. Lowell Crater has