Earl Carl Slipher (; March 25, 1883 – August 7, 1964) was an American

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

, and politician. He was the brother of astronomer

Vesto Slipher Vesto Melvin Slipher (; November 11, 1875 – November 8, 1969) was an American astronomer who performed the first measurements of radial velocities for galaxies. He was the first to discover that distant galaxies are redshifted, thus providing th ...

. He served in both the

Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State C ...

and the Arizona State Senate.

Biography

Slipher was born in

Mulberry, Indiana Mulberry is a town in Madison Township, Clinton County, Indiana, Madison Township, Clinton County, Indiana, Clinton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,231 at the 2020 census. The town was named for a mulberry tree which grew at t ...

. He first joined

Lowell Observatory Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark ...

in 1908 and became a noted planetary astronomer, concentrating on

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

. He published ''Photographic History of Mars (1905–1961)''. In 1957, he appeared in the "

Mars and Beyond "Mars and Beyond" is an episode of ''Disneyland'' which aired on December 4, 1957. It was directed by Ward Kimball and narrated by Paul Frees. This episode discusses the possibility of life on other planets, especially Mars. The show was also rele ...

" episode of ''

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

'' discussing the possibility of life on Mars. He also served as mayor of

Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has ...

from 1918 to 1920, and later as a member of the

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

state legislature until 1933. The crater Slipher on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

is named after Earl and Vesto Slipher, as is asteroid

1766 Slipher 1766 Slipher, provisional designation , is a Paduan asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 18 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 7 September 1962, by astronomers of the Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Li ...

, discovered September 7, 1962, by the

Indiana Asteroid Program The Indiana Asteroid Program was a photographic astronomical survey of asteroids during 1949–1967, at the U.S. Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana. The program was initiated by Frank K. Edmondson of Indiana University using a 10-inc ...

. He served a two terms in the Arizona State Senate during the

8th 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

and

10th Arizona State Legislature The 10th Arizona State Legislature, consisting of the Arizona State Senate and the Arizona House of Representatives, was constituted from January 1, 1931, to December 31, 1932, during the first and second years of George W. P. Hunt's seventh ten ...

s, holding the seat from

Coconino County Coconino County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from ''Cohonino'', a name applied to the Havasupai p ...

. He was also a member of the

, from Coconino County, during the 7th Arizona State Legislature.

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slipher, Earl C. 1883 births 1964 deaths American astronomers Planetary scientists Mayors of places in Arizona People from Clinton County, Indiana People from Flagstaff, Arizona Democratic Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians Democratic Party Arizona state senators