of the Martian canals, of surface features on Venus, and of Planet X are now discredited, his practice of building observatories at the position where they would best function has been adopted as a principle. He also established the program and setting which made the discovery of Pluto by Clyde Tombaugh possible. Lowell has been described by other planetary scientists as "the most influential popularizer of planetary science in America before Carl Sagan". While eventually disproved, Lowell's vision of the Martian canals, as an artifact of an ancient civilization making a desperate last effort to survive, significantly influences the development of science fiction – starting with H. G. Wells' influential 1898 novel The War of the Worlds, which made the further logical inference that creatures from a dying planet might seek to invade Earth. The image of the dying Mars and its ancient culture was retained, in numerous versions and variations, in most science fiction works depicting Mars in the first half of the twentieth century (see Mars in fiction). Even when proven to be factually mistaken, the vision of Mars derived from his theories remains enshrined in works that remain in print and widely read as classics of science fiction. Lowell's influence on science fiction remains strong. The canals figure prominently in Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein (1949) and The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (1950). The canals, and even Lowell's mausoleum, heavily influence The Gods of Mars (1918) by Edgar Rice Burroughs as well as all other books in the Barsoom series. Asteroid 1886 Lowell, discovered by Henry Giclas and Robert Schaldach in 1949, as well as crater Lowell on the Moon, and crater Lowell on Mars, were named after him. The Lowell Regio on Pluto was also named in his honor after its discovery by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. Publications The Soul of the Far East (1888) Noto: An Unexplored Corner of Japan (1891) Occult Japan, or the Way of the Gods (1894) Collected Writings on Japan and Asia, including Letters to Amy Lowell and Lafcadio Hearn, 5 vols., Tokyo: Edition Synapse. Mars (1895) Mars and Its Canals (1906) Mars As the Abode of Life (1908) The Evolution of Worlds (1910) (Full text at ) See also Life on Mars Noto Peninsula Wrexie Leonard References Further reading External links Lowell Observatory BBC Science: Percival Lowell 1855 births 1916 deaths American agnostics American astronomers American