Bookmark this page or copy and paste URL to Email message E.C. Slipher Papers, 1885-1969.MS.3 Biographical NoteEarl Carl Slipher was born on a farm near Mulberry, Indiana on March 25, 1883. He began his higher education at Indiana University, where he received his B.A. degree in 1906 and his M.A. degree in 1908. He earned this M.A. through the Laurence Fellowship, which allowed him to work toward his master's degree at Lowell Observatory from 1906 to 1908. He received honorary LL.D degrees from the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University in 1960. Slipher began his lifelong career as a planetary astronomer in 1907 when he observed Mars during an expedition to the Andes led by David Todd and supported by Percival Lowell. He became an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in 1908. At this institution, he became one of the first people to use multiple image printing, in which several images taken in close succession are superimposed onto one photographic plate in order to improve the information content in any given picture. In 1918, he became one of the first people to standardize his photographic plates for photometric measures, a procedure which is now universally used. In 1939, 1954 and 1956, Slipher led expeditions to the Lamont-Hussey Observatory at Bloemfontein, South Africa in order to observe Mars while it was in opposition. He was also instrumental in organizing the International Mars Committee (1954), which was designed to coordinate observatories around the world in order to observe Mars continuously for several months before and after an opposition. In 1960, Slipher headed a United States Air Force project designed to update the techniques used to observe Mars. Slipher was also the acting director of Lowell Observatory from January 3rd, 1957 until September 1958. Slipher did not, however, limit his activities to the confines of Lowell Observatory. He was the mayor of Flagstaff (1918-1920), a Flagstaff city council member (1917), a State Legislature member (from which position he resigned in 1933), and a member of the Flagstaff draft board (1940-1945). E.C. Slipher died in Flagstaff, Arizona on August 7, 1964 at the age of 81. Scope and ContentThe E.C. Slipher Papers contain the published papers, research notes, photographs, and correspondence of the longtime Lowell Observatory astronomer. Major scientific areas of focus include Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the solar system. There is also material pertaining to education, the Colorado River, and Flagstaff. The papers are divided into five series: Manuscripts, Working Papers, Correspondence, Other Professional Activities, and Non-Research Activities. The Manuscripts series contains Slipher's published works on Mars, planetary observations, the Lamont-Hussey Observatory in South Africa, and Lowell Observatory. The Working Papers series includes drawings and plates of Mars, notes on observations of the planets and other solar system objects, lectures, and galley proofs of Slipher's book Mars: The Photographic Story. The series also contains photographs of the planets, comets, night sky, Flagstaff, and South Africa. The Correspondence series contains Slipher's letters to and from astronomers, scientists, companies, family, friends, and the public. The Other Professional Activities series consists of materials pertaining to Slipher's professional activities outside of Lowell Observatory such as the International Astronomical Union and the American Astronomical Society. The Non-Research Activities series contains materials about Arizona State Teachers College (now Northern Arizona University), the Selective Service, the Colorado River, taxes, local and state government, and Slipher's college class notes. RestrictionsConditions Governing Access
Please contact the archives to make an appointment before visiting the institution. Conditions Governing Use
Unpublished and published manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder. Other informationFor further description visit: Lowell Observatory Library and Archives Homepage Administrative InformationPreferred Citation
E.C. Slipher Papers, Lowell Observatory Archives Container List
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||