On February 18, 1930, the American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto!
Before he discovered Pluto, another astronomer named Percival Lowell had spent over a decade trying to find it. He had theorized that a ninth planet existed based on wobbles seen in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. But it wasn't until Tombaugh started using a new observation technique that Pluto was first spotted. The new technique involved something called a blink microscope, which Tombaugh used to compare photographic plates and look for signs of moving objects.
Before he discovered Pluto, another astronomer named Percival Lowell had spent over a decade trying to find it. He had theorized that a ninth planet existed based on wobbles seen in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. But it wasn't until Tombaugh started using a new observation technique that Pluto was first spotted. The new technique involved something called a blink microscope, which Tombaugh used to compare photographic plates and look for signs of moving objects.
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TechTranscript
00:00On this day in space.
00:03On February 18th, 1930, the American astronomer
00:06Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto.
00:09Before he discovered Pluto, another astronomer named
00:11Percival Lowell had spent over a decade trying to find it.
00:14He had theorized that a ninth planet existed based on
00:17wobbles seen in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune.
00:20But it wasn't until Tombaugh started using a new
00:22observation technique that Pluto was first spotted.
00:25The new technique involved something called a blink microscope,
00:27which Tombaugh used to compare photographic plates
00:29and look for signs of moving objects.
00:32And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:35NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology