Clyde Tombaugh | |
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![]() Tombaugh at his family's farm with his homemade telescope (1928) | |
Born | Clyde William Tombaugh February 4, 1906 Streator, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | January 17, 1997 Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S. | (aged 90)
Alma mater | University of Kansas |
Occupation | Astronomer |
Known for | Discovery of Pluto |
Spouse | Patricia |
Children | Annette and Alden |
Relatives |
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Clyde William Tombaugh /ˈtɒmbaʊ/ (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. Tombaugh also discovered many asteroids, and called for the serious scientific research of unidentified flying objects.