Black and white photo of Percival Lowell. He wears a dark suit with a high-collared white shirt and a wide tie. He is looking above and to the left of the photographer. Lowell is balding and has a large mustache.

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1. Robert McNees (mcnees@mastodon.social)'s status on Monday, 13-Mar-2023 14:59:31 UTC Robert McNees

   in reply to

   The announcement was made on that date for two reasons.

   First, to honor Percival Lowell, who was born #OTD in 1855. Lowell first hypothesized the existence of Pluto to explain irregularities in the orbit of Uranus.

   And second, to commemorate the discovery of Uranus, smooth as an egg and monstrously featureless to the human eye, by William Herschel #OTD in 1781.

   Uranus Image: NASA/JPL