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Research facility · Flagstaff · United States

Lowell Observatory

In research, Lowell Observatory stands highest in Physical Sciences (#3,972 of 21,541 worldwide), Astronomy and Astrophysics (#352 of 1,146 worldwide) and Physics and Astronomy (#1,810 of 3,663 worldwide), over all time. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Astronomy and Astrophysics and Physics and Astronomy — Astronomy and Astrophysics is 119.4× its share of world research.

lowell.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, all time
#6,653
of 42,892
Rank in United States
#1,533
of 8,685
Research works
928
▼ 30% vs 2013–17
Citations
30k
31.9 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
18.4%
record average 16.5%
Open access
47%
world 28%

What is Lowell Observatory known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, over all time, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorks
Physical SciencesDomain #3,972 of 21,541 26.8%884
Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield #352 of 1,146 28.5%566
Physics and AstronomyField #1,810 of 3,663 27.7%699

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Lowell Observatory sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

What does Lowell Observatory specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Astronomy and Astrophysics takes 119.4× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield · 29.8 works119×
  2. Physics and AstronomyField · 36.6 works34×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.10× its world share, 0 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.14× its world share, 0 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Neuroscience: 0.09× its world share, 0 worksNeuroscienceChemistry: 1.50× its world share, 1 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.06× its world share, 0 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 2.49× its world share, 2 worksEarth and Planetary …Engineering: 0.47× its world share, 3 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.72× its world share, 2 worksEnvironmental SciencePhysics and Astronomy: 34.29× its world share, 37 worksPhysics and AstronomyMedicine: 0.01× its world share, 0 worksMedicineArts and Humanities: 0.96× its world share, 1 worksArts and HumanitiesDecision Sciences: 0.84× its world share, 0 worksDecision SciencesPsychology: 0.30× its world share, 0 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.03× its world share, 0 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 34.3×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Lowell Observatory?

Ranked on the composite score, E. Bowell, L. J. Martin and G. W. Lockwood lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Lowell Observatory.

  1. 1 E. Bowell United States · #99,756 worldwide 318 citations · 71 works
  2. 2 L. J. Martin United States · #108,947 worldwide 228 citations · 25 works
  3. 3 G. W. Lockwood United States · #168,914 worldwide 221 citations · 84 works
  4. 4 R. L. Millis United States · #176,078 worldwide 234 citations · 69 works
  5. 5 D. T. Thompson United States · #176,769 worldwide 169 citations · 23 works
  6. 6 Edward W. Dunham United States · #207,894 worldwide 334 citations · 72 works
  7. 7 D. G. Schleicher United States · #226,399 worldwide 295 citations · 73 works
  8. 8 N. M. White United States · #252,681 worldwide 99 citations · 27 works
  9. 9 W. M. Grundy United States · #378,417 worldwide 510 citations · 177 works
  10. 10 Deidre A. Hunter United States · #406,695 worldwide 488 citations · 99 works
All ranked researchers at Lowell Observatory

Which keywords describe research at Lowell Observatory?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Exoplanets, Stellar Astrophysics, Solar System Abundances, Terrestrial Planets, Star Formation, Accretion Disks, Magnetic Fields and Mars.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 34 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 34 words, with their numbers
  1. Exoplanets9▲ 466×1 topic
  2. Stellar Astrophysics9▲ 466×1 topic
  3. Solar System Abundances7▲ 299×1 topic
  4. Terrestrial Planets7▲ 299×1 topic
  5. Star Formation5▲ 212×2 topics
  6. Accretion Disks4▲ 202×2 topics
  7. Magnetic Fields4▲ 146×2 topics
  8. Mars4▲ 292×1 topic
  9. Martian Surface4▲ 292×1 topic
  10. Molecular Clouds4▲ 352×1 topic
  11. Protoplanetary Disks4▲ 352×1 topic
  12. Astronomical Instrumentation4▲ 302×1 topic
  13. Spectrograph4▲ 302×1 topic
  14. Adaptive Optics2▲ 321×1 topic
  15. Wavefront Sensing2▲ 321×1 topic
  16. Supernovae2▲ 39×2 topics
  17. Black Holes1▲ 31×2 topics
  18. Gravitational Waves1▲ 49×2 topics
  19. Stable Isotopes1▲ 91×1 topic
  20. Trophic Position1▲ 91×1 topic
  21. Cosmology1▲ 38×2 topics
  22. Dark Matter1▲ 22×3 topics
  23. Gamma-Ray Bursts1▲ 98×1 topic
  24. Neutron Stars1▲ 98×1 topic
  25. Structural Health Monitoring1▲ 31×2 topics
  26. Galaxies1▲ 85×1 topic
  27. Optical 3D Laser Measurement1▲ 194×1 topic
  28. Position-Sensitive Detector1▲ 194×1 topic
  29. Radio Astronomy1▲ 100×2 topics
  30. Spectroscopy1▲ 14×3 topics
  31. Stellar Populations1▲ 85×1 topic
  32. Literary Criticism1▲ 42×1 topic
  33. Modernist Poetry1▲ 290×1 topic
  34. Plate Tectonics1▲ 14×2 topics

Which research topics does Lowell Observatory publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies, Astro and Planetary Science, Planetary Science and Exploration and Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies.

Stellar, planetary, and …9Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies: 9 fractional worksAstro and Planetary Science: 7 fractional worksPlanetary Science and Exploration: 4 fractional worksAstrophysics and Star Fo…4Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies: 4 fractional worksAstronomy and Astrophysi…4Astronomy and Astrophysical Research: 4 fractional worksAdaptive optics and wavefront sensing: 2 fractional worksIsotope Analysis in Ecology: 1 fractional worksGamma-ray bursts and supernovae: 1 fractional worksGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena: 1 fractional worksAstronomical Observations and Instrumentation: 1 fractional works
Astronomy and AstrophysicsInstrumentationAtomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsEcology1 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 9 works
  2. 2 Astro and Planetary Science Astronomy and Astrophysics 7 works
  3. 3 Planetary Science and Exploration Astronomy and Astrophysics 4 works
  4. 4 Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 4 works
  5. 5 Astronomy and Astrophysical Research Instrumentation 4 works
  6. 6 Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 2 works
  7. 7 Isotope Analysis in Ecology Ecology 1 works
  8. 8 Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
  9. 9 Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
  10. 10 Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation Computational Mechanics 1 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world’s own shares — the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available47.4%not open52.6%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors21.2%domestic only78.8%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Lowell Observatory's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 30% lower than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Other research institutions in Flagstaff

All research institutions in Flagstaff

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.