The 95th anniversary of Pluto’s official discovery by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona is rapidly approaching and the historic location is gearing up to host a grand celebration on Feb. 13-17, 2025 with a five-day series of educational and social activities to mark the occasion.
Lowell’s sixth annual “I Heart Pluto Festival” will honor the remote icy world that was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 and originally found at that location on Feb. 18, 1930. This year is also the tenth anniversary of NASA’s New Horizons mission and its flyby of Pluto where it captured close-up images of unparalleled detail and beauty.
“To Boldly Go Beyond New Horizons” is this year’s theme and will feature a Pluto Pub Crawl, exclusive book signings, and family-friendly food and fun at the new Astronomy Discovery Center. Adam Nimoy (Son of “Star Trek’s” Leonard Nimoy), New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern, and comet-hunting superstar David Levy will also join moderator David Eicher, Editor-in-Chief of Astronomy magazine, for an evening panel discussion at the Orpheum Theater on Feb. 15.
“I’m one of the laypeople on the panel with a couple of distinguished astronomers and scientists who have more in depth knowledge about all things space,” Nimoy tells Space.com. “I’m coming as a sort of observer, a fan of astronomy and science fiction, to talk a little bit about ‘Star Trek’ and Leonard, and the connection to the Lowell Observatory. Percival Lowell, the founder of the observatory, and the family that funded the telescope are based in Boston.
“They were one of the first families of Boston and my dad was from the other side of the street. He came from the west end of Boston, the immigrant neighborhood not far from Beacon Hill where the well-to-do were living. So it’ll be a little bit about ‘Star Trek,’ the popularity of science, the public’s awareness of science, how ‘Star Trek’ as one of the premier science fiction television shows has continued to spark the imagination of the American public. How it’s continued to resonate with people about science fiction and space travel. The more popular side of science.”
Pluto has always been a favorite of school children, scientists, and amateur stargazers and the allure of this distant dwarf planet has never been stronger.
“To credit Percival Lowell, it was Planet X, and he postulated that there was another planet out there at the far reaches of our solar system. It was just one of the mysteries of that time. It was another thirteen or fourteen years before the planet was actually discovered. This idea that it takes like 250 years for Pluto to orbit the sun, I think that’s just bizarre. Also the fact that the planet has been demystified by New Horizons.
“We always have assumptions about the size of these things and the orbit of these planets. Whether or not the mathematical formulas are accurate and it’s always being modified. I was never a math guy but it’s interesting that sometimes we need to do plain old observation to figure out what the size and trajectories are.”
Nimoy said that his father owned a telescope and would use it to watch the skies. “He visited the Lowell Observatory and he was at White Sands Missile Base in the ’60s and brought back all these models of satellites,” Nimoy said. “I sent a picture of him with one of those models, Vanguard 1, to the people at Lowell to promote my appearance there. He had a fascination with it.
“Funny, he’d talk to astrophysicists who would be asking him detailed questions about their discoveries or their theorems and projections and ask his opinion. He always had a stock answer which was, ‘You’re on the right track.’ It was over his head but he definitely had an interest in it.”
On Sunday, Feb. 16, KNAU Science Reporter Melissa Sevigny will host a chat with Nimoy in Lowell Observatory’s Astronomy Discovery Center for his book, “The Most Human,” which explores his relationship with his legendary father. A book signing will follow, along with a screening of Nimoy’s documentary, “For the Love of Spock.”
For more information on “I Heart Pluto” schedules, general admission tickets, and a VIP option for “A Night of Discovery” allowing access to a private reception with the presenters before the main program, visit the main ticket site.
