The Lowell crater is a large

impact crater An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters ...

Aonia Terra Aonia Terra is a region in the southern Southern Hemisphere, hemisphere of the planet Mars. It is named after a classical albedo feature ''Aonia'', that was named after the ancient Greek region Aonia. It is centered at and covers 3900 km a ...

in the

Thaumasia quadrangle The Thaumasia quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The Thaumasia quadrangle is also referred to as MC-25 (Mars Chart-25). The name comes fr ...

of Mars. The crater is about 203 kilometers (127 miles) in diameter. Lowell is an example of a well-preserved peak ring crater on Mars. Nearby features include the craters Slipher to the north, Douglass to the east, and Coblentz to the southwest, the small mountain Aonia Mons to the west, and

Aonia Planum This is a list of plains on Mars. Such features are named after the nearest classical albedo feature in compliance with the International Astronomical Union's rules of planetary nomenclature. Plains may be named denoted "planitia" or "planum", dep ...

to the southeast. Lowell crater is named for

Percival Lowell Percival Lowell (; March 13, 1855 – November 12, 1916) was an American businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars, and furthered theories of a ninth planet within the Solar System. ...

who built the

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 ...

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 ...

, in 1894, and then started observing Mars intensively for years. He used the observatory and his large

refractor telescope A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens (optics), lens as its objective (optics), objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptrics, dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope d ...

to discover what he believed were over 500 canals on Mars. Lowell promoted the idea that they were constructed by an intelligent race of

Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pr ...

s. However, when pictures were received from spacecraft, the canals were found to be

optical illusion Within visual perception, an optical illusion (also called a visual illusion) is an illusion caused by the visual system and characterized by a visual perception, percept that arguably appears to differ from reality. Illusions come in a wide v ...

s. Nevertheless, much of the later interest in Mars exploration resulted from the efforts of Lowell.Glasstone, S. 1968. The Book of Mars. NASA. Washington D.C. File:Lowell crater f034a37.jpg, Viking Orbiter 1 image from 1976 Plan view of Lowell crater ESA19394073.jpeg, High resolution image from ESA's

Mars Express ''Mars Express'' is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA). The ''Mars Express'' mission is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. "Express" originally ref ...

Image:Lowell Crater Rim.JPG, Lowell crater northeast rim, as seen by

HiRISE High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is a camera on board the ''Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter'' which has been orbiting and studying Mars since 2006. The 65 kg (143 lb), US$40 million instrument was built under the direction o ...

. Crater floor is toward the bottom of picture. File:Lowell Martian crater 600km.jpg, Shaded relief map Wikilowelldunes.jpg, Sand dunes in Lowell Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter ''Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter'' (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, an ...

References

External links

* Impact craters on Mars Thaumasia quadrangle {{crater-stub

See also

References

External links