Clyde Tombaugh

Clyde Tombaugh

Clyde Tombaugh was a curious astronomer who loved looking at the sky. He was born on February 4, 1906, in Streator, Illinois, but grew up on farms in Kansas. Even as a young boy, he dreamed about stars and space.

Clyde taught himself about astronomy and even built his own telescope using spare parts! His hard work paid off when he got a job at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. There, he made a big discovery: he found Pluto in 1930. At that time, Pluto was called the ninth planet in our Solar System.

Later in life, Clyde became a teacher at New Mexico State University. He helped people learn about Mercury and Jupiter. Even after he retired, he kept looking at the sky and building telescopes. Clyde passed away in 1997, but he is remembered for his amazing discovery of Pluto.

Because of his work, a special area on Pluto called Tombaugh Regio was named after him. Clyde’s love for the stars inspired many people to look up and wonder about the universe.