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Clyde William Tombaugh (/ ˈ t ɒ m b aʊ /; February 4, 1906 – January 17, 1997) was an American astronomer. He discovered the ninth planet Pluto in 1930, the first object to be discovered in what would later be identified as the Kuiper belt. At the time of discovery, Pluto was considered a planet, but was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
- February 18, 1930: Discovery of Pluto
- Tombaugh and The New Horizons Mission to Pluto
- Planet X?
- Clyde Tombaugh’s Early Career
- Pluto Reclassified as A Dwarf Planet
- More to See in The Outer Solar System
On this date 92 years ago, Clyde Tombaugh – just 25 years old – was working at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Tombaugh had been working at the observatory for about a year. He was continuing the search for a 9th planet that Percival Lowell began in 1906. On February 18, 1930, Tombaugh compared photos of a single star field – taken six da...
On the anniversary in 2020, Thomas Zurbuchen – associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate – commented: NASA also said that, although he died in 1997, Tombaugh’s ashes were aboard the New Horizonsspacecraft when it launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in January 2006. Those ashes, carried in a small canister on the spacecraft, ...
The mystery of Pluto began long before Clyde Tombaugh’s momentous discovery. Astronomers in the 19th century knew the 7th planet Uranus as the outermost planet in our solar system. But they believed somethingwas gravitationally disturbing Uranus’ orbit, and they concluded another planet must exist farther out. They even mathematically predicted its...
Lowell Observatory hiredClyde Tombaugh in 1929 to continue the search Percival Lowell had begun. Tombaugh, born in 1906, grew up on a farm in Streator, Illinois. As a boy he dreamed of becoming an astronomer but gave up the possibility of attending college after a hailstorm destroyed his family’s crops. However, he taught himself mathematical skill...
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union changed the status of Pluto from one of nine major planets in our solar system to a dwarf planet, raising much controversy.
Besides Pluto, we now know of numerous bodies in the outer solar system. These objects are part of the Kuiper Belt. Several of these worlds also carry the dwarf planet label, such as Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. Astronomers believe we will eventually find many more small, spherical worlds in the outer solar system. And what of Planet X? Interestingl...
Feb 15, 2013 · From 1955 until he retired in 1973, he taught at New Mexico State University. Tombaugh passed away at his home in Las Cruces, N.M., on Jan. 17, 1997. An avid amateur astronomer. Unimpressed with ...
Mar 23, 2002 · Despite the media crush, Tombaugh didn’t let up from the search, which he expected would likely yield more discoveries. In fact, Tombaugh continued his search for additional planets from Lowell ...
Mar 15, 2024 · The Tedious Task of Planet Hunting. The task of searching for the undiscovered planet was tedious and required great attention to detail and perseverance. Night after night Tombaugh used the 13-inch telescope to photograph large areas of the sky. Then during the day, he would develop the large photographic plates.
Mar 3, 2010 · Pluto, once believed to be the ninth planet, is discovered at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, by astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh. The existence of an unknown ninth planet was first ...
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Clyde Tombaugh: the astronomer who discovered Pluto | BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
