I Spy with My Little Eye

Late in the evening I had an enjoyable visit to the Lowell Observatory high above Flagstaff, Arizona.

For obvious reasons they keep it very dark at the Observatory at night.  It was fascinating to wander around looking at the various telescopes including the historic one responsible for the discovery of Pluto, formerly known as a Planet.

It was a cloudy night so you couldn't see much in the sky but that didn't really matter to me.  Most impressive was the friendliness of the staff.  I know nothing about astronomy and they were more than willing to answer all of my questions to the best of my ability to comprehend (without making me feel more stupider).

I was also fascinated by a meteorite on display in the Visitor Center's lobby -- a giant chunk of metal that at some point flew out of space and hit the Arizona desert.  For decades it was on display in a gift shop in the Grand Canyon Village but a few years ago was given to the Lowell Observatory when the gift shop finally closed down.  Even meteorites have to exit through the Gift Shop.