Tombaugh

American  

[tom-baw] / ˈtɒm bɔ /

noun

1. Clyde William, 1906–97, U.S. astronomer: discovered Pluto 1930.

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Tombaugh British  

/ ˈtɒmbəʊ /

noun

1. Clyde William. 1906–97, US astronomer, who discovered (1930) the dwarf planet Pluto

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Tombaugh Scientific  

/ tŏm′bô′ /

1. American astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930. Beyond the orbit of Neptune, the existence of a planet known as Planet X, had been predicted some years earlier by the American astronomer Percival Lowell based on apparent perturbations in the orbits of Neptune and Uranus. Tombaugh's careful analysis of celestial photographs did reveal a new celestial body, although it was too small to have caused the perturbations. Planet X itself was never found.

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Example Sentences

The "heart," also known as the Tombaugh Regio, captured the public's attention immediately upon its discovery.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2024

Being the first-ever space probe to visit the dwarf planet, New Horizons provided stunning pictures of Pluto's red and white surface, including Tombaugh Regio, a light-colored topographical swath in the shape of a heart.

From Salon • May 7, 2023

Other lots relate to American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, who vanished while attempting a round-the-world flight in 1937, including photographs and letters, as well a telescope belonging to the astronomer Clyde Tombaugh who discovered Pluto.

From Reuters • Jul. 14, 2022

The only person who escaped this fate is Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto, some of whose ashes are making their way out of the solar system aboard the New Horizons spacecraft.

From Scientific American • Sep. 11, 2021

Tombaugh had no formal training as an astronomer, but he was diligent and he was astute, and after a year’s patient searching he somehow spotted Pluto, a faint point of light in a glittery firmament.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson