Ever since the late 1800s, there have been theories about whether life exists on our neighbor Mars. Some people went so far as to propose the idea that the canals were irrigation canals built by a supposed intelligent civilization on Mars. Percival Lowell was a strong proponent of this view. In 1894 Lowell chose Flagstaff as the home of his new observatory.
Arizona is a particularly good state for astronomical observations. My former mentor, Mel Martin, lives in the state, and his astrophotographs are among the best in the business. Mel lives in an area where there are few cloudy nights and is far from city lights, with 300 clear nights in a year being the norm. More
