Flagstaff is often called the “Home of Pluto” because nearly every major research effort surrounding Pluto has ties to northern Arizona. Percival Lowell spent years searching for a ninth planet (which he called Planet X). Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto at Lowell Observatory on February 18, 1930, and another Lowell astronomer, Jim Christy, detected Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, in 1978.
Highlights of the festival include a “Night of Discovery” at The Orpheum Theater starting at 6 pm on Saturday, Feb. 18. The program will feature a keynote address by NASA astronaut, aquanaut, space artist and author Nicole Stott, who will share her stories of exploring space. Stott served as the flight engineer on the International Space Station, and as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle.
Earlier in the day at 12:30 pm, there will be a special dedication of the Tombaugh Telescope, the 9-inch instrument that Tombaugh hand-assembled in 1928 from scraps around his families farm in Burdette, Kansas. The drawings that Tombaugh made with this telescope led to his being hired at Lowell Observatory; within a year, and using a much larger instrument, Tombaugh would discover Pluto.
On Sunday and Monday, there will be family-friendly activities all day long at Lowell Observatory, including science demonstrations and talks, tours, live music, a scavenger hunt, and livestreamed presentations on the latest news from the dwarf planet.
For those of you who like to combine festivals (and would like a side order of beer with your astronomy), there will be a pre-festival Pluto Pub Crawl starting at 6 pm on February 17 in Historic Downtown Flagstaff, which coincides nicely with Arizona Beer Week. In fact, Mother Road Brewing Company will unveil a limited edition beer brewed specifically for the festival that night.
Details on all these event and more can be found on the festival website.
In addition to shining a spotlight on our robust astronomy and research sectors, the I Heart Pluto celebration makes it clear that although Pluto is billions of miles away, it’s home on Earth is right here in northern Arizona.