1930: Pluto discovered Clyde Tombaugh, 24, discovered a new lanet today, eventually named Pluto a!

ter the "ree# god o! the underworld$ Tombaugh located the lanet while in the dome o! the observatory in %lagsta!!, &ri'ona, where he wor#ed as a (s#y watcher) and made hotogra hic lates$ *e discovered Pluto by loo#ing at the lates through the +lin# microsco e com arator, which was used to com are the lates in search o! moving ob,ects$ Tombaugh, who, at the time had not yet graduated !rom college, was the !irst -and only. /nited 0tates citi'en to discover a lanet$ 1*e accom lished what other astronomers had been trying !or since 1902, when the late Percival 3owell ro osed that irregularities in the orbit o! /ranus indicated the resence o! another lanet in the s#y,4 re orted the 5orthwest &r#ansas Times on 0e tember 23, 1964$ 57T8: Pluto remained a designated lanet !or 96 years until &ugust o! 2006 when the :nternational &stronomical /nion de!ined the word ( lanet) !or the !irst time$ This de!inition e;cluded Pluto and reclassi!ied it as a dwar! lanet$