Fact-or-Fiction Daily News

On this day in 1930, astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh made a discovery that would reshape our understanding of the solar system. Working at Lowell Observatory, the 24-year-old used a 13-inch telescope and a painstaking method of comparing photographic plates to identify a faint, moving object beyond Neptune. That object would soon be named Pluto, then celebrated as the ninth planet in our solar system.

Although Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, Tombaugh’s achievement remains a milestone in observational astronomy—proof that patience, precision, and curiosity can expand humanity’s cosmic horizon. Nearly a century later, the discovery continues to inspire scientists and skywatchers alike, reminding us that even the most distant worlds can be found by those willing to look carefully into the night sky.