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If you did any Googling today you likely noticed the graphic commemorating the birthday of Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910). He was an interesting figure, best known for sparking a controversy with respect to Mars when, after extensive observation during Earth's close encounter with the Red Planet in 1877, he announced that he had detected the presence of "canali". "Canali", in Italian, translates as "channels". But Schiaparelli's discovery was mis-translated as "canals", with the associated implication that they were not naturally occuring, but had been purposely built by "Martians" (Alicia-Logic) at some point in the planet's history. Astronomers rushed to confirm Schiaparelli's (Wikipedia) find, and to gather more detail. American astronomer Percival Lowell (1855-1916) (PlutoPortal) devoted most of his career to proving the existence of the canals -- ultimately, to no available. Although an astronomer at an observatory he founded in Arizona (Clyde Tombaugh) did discover the now sort of ex-planet Pluto (Crystal Links) in 1930.