Historic AZ landmark just got 2 national accolades. Here's why people love it
Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff — the historic research center where Pluto was discovered — has made national headlines lately, earning back-to-back accolades from two major publications.
On Thursday, March 13, TIME named Lowell Observatory one of the World's Greatest Places of 2025, highlighting its open-air planetarium and ongoing contributions to space education.
That came just after the March 6 announcement that Lowell ranked No. 1 in Newsweek's readers choice list of 10 best science museums in the United States. That recognition emphasized Lowell's commitment to research and public engagement, showcasing its ability to make complex astronomical concepts accessible to visitors.
The observatory's blend of history, hands-on exhibits, and modern advancements helped it earn the top spot in this category, according to Newsweek.
TIME's list of the world's great places gave special attention to new and exciting experiences.
Lowell Observatory stood out for its new Marley Foundation Astronomy Discovery Center, whose open-air planetarium offering live sky viewing and commentary with heated seating provides an immersive experience for visitors. TIME also noted the observatory's rich history, including its role in the discovery of Pluto.
'We are honored to be named as one of the world's greatest places,' Lowell Observatory Executive Director Amanda Bosh said in a press release.
'We think of Lowell Observatory as a portal between our world and other places in our solar system, galaxy and universe. Our research brings space closer to us through our understanding of it, and we invite the public to join us in exploring the wonders of our universe as well.'
Lowell Observatory is where researcher Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930.
It was Flagstaff's first permanent scientific institution, paving the way for the city to become a hub for astronomical research and education.
Today, Lowell Observatory anchors a thriving scientific community that includes Northern Arizona University, the U.S. Geological Survey Flagstaff Science Campus, the Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station and Coconino Community College, as well as the Flagstaff Dark Sky Coalition.
When: Noon-10 p.m. Wednesdays-Mondays; closed on Tuesdays.
Where: 1400 W. Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff.
Admission: $35 for ages 18-54; $30 for college students, military members and age 55 and older with ID; $20 for ages 6-17; free for age 5 and younger. There are discounts for local residents and Arizona Native Americans.
Details: 928-774-3358, lowell.edu.
Got a story you want to share? Reach out at Tiffany.Acosta@gannett.com. Follow @tiffsario on Instagram.
Support local journalism and subscribe to azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Newsweek, Time love Lowell Observatory in AZ. Here's why
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As O'Shaughnessy recalls in the film, she said, 'Oh boy, we're in trouble.' Ride responded, 'We don't have to be. We don't have to do this.' Then they kissed. Ride would ultimately fly twice in space, going aloft the second time in 1984, once again aboard the shuttle Challenger. After that snake-bit ship came to tragic ruin, exploding 73 seconds into its last flight and claiming the lives of all seven crewmembers, Ride and Neil Armstrong, the commander of Apollo 11 and the first man on the moon, served on the commission that investigated the causes of the accident. Ride left NASA in 1987, accepting a fellowship at Stanford and later became a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. In 1989, O'Shaughnessy moved out west to live with her. It would not be until 2013, a year after Ride's death, that California would permanently legalize gay marriage, and it would not be until 2015 that the Supreme Court would do the same nationwide. That was alright with Ride, who, as with her relationship with her college roommate, continued to believe that her love for O'Shaughnessy should remain a quiet and relatively private thing. But all that began to change in 2011. It was early that year that Ride first showed signs of illness—poor appetite and yellowing cheeks. Her doctor diagnosed pancreatic cancer. 'The doctor never said what stage. He never said the worst stage. We thought she was going to get better, and we were trying everything,' O'Shaughnessy recalls. 'She was doing acupuncture, we were meditating, we became vegans. And then one day, we're at the oncologist, and he said, 'It's time for hospice.' And Sally and I were, like, shocked.' Not long before Ride died, the couple grew concerned that O'Shaughnessy would not be allowed to visit her in the hospital, help make critical care decisions, or share property because they were not married—and could not be in California. So they went for the next best thing, registering as certified domestic partners, which afforded them the necessary rights. 'It's the worst phrase,' says O'Shaughnessy. 'We used to call each other certified domestic hens, because it's such a bad term.' Whatever name they went by, they would not get to enjoy their newly legalized status for long. Ride passed on July 23, 2012, just 17 months after she was diagnosed. At first NASA planned no formal memorial or celebration of Ride's life. Then, the next month, Armstrong died and a memorial was held at the Washington National Cathedral, with 1,500 people in attendance. 'I got mad,' O'Shaughnessy says. She called then-Senator Barbara Mikulski (D, Md.) who chaired the Senate Committee on Appropriations and oversaw NASA's budget. Mikulski called then-NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, who at first offered up a relatively intimate affair for 300 people at the National Air and Space Museum. O'Shaughnessy pressed, and ultimately won approval for a far more prepossessing event at the Kennedy Center in 2013. Today, Ride's legacy lives on in Sally Ride Science, a nonprofit founded by Ride and O'Shaughnessy in 2001 to inspire girls to become scientifically literate and to draw girls and women into the STEM fields. It lives on too in astronaut Peggy Whitson, who now holds the U.S. record for most time spent in space, at 675 days over four missions. It lives on in Christina Koch, who will become the first woman to travel to the moon, when she flies aboard Artemis II on its circumlunar journey in 2026. It lives on in NASA's current 46-person astronaut corps, of whom 19 are women. Ride flew high, Ride flew fast, and Ride flew first—doing service to both science and human equity in the process. Sally powerfully tells her tale.
