Clyde Tombaugh

Clyde William Tombaugh (; February 4, 1906 – January 17, 1997) was an American astronomer and telescope maker, best known for discovering Pluto in 1930, marking the first detection of what would eventually be recognized as the Kuiper belt. At the time, Pluto was referred to as the ninth planet in the Solar System, a classification that stood for over seven decades. Born in Illinois, and raised on farms in Kansas, Tombaugh was largely self-taught in astronomy and optical engineering, building his