Born into a farming family in 1906, Tombaugh bypassed a lack of formal early education by constructing his own telescopes from farm machinery parts, eventually earning a position at the Lowell Observatory. It was there, in 1930, that his tireless research led to the monumental discovery of Pluto, the first object found in what we now know as the Kuiper Belt.

Beyond his most famous achievement, Tombaugh was a dedicated educator and prolific astronomer who discovered hundreds of asteroids and variable stars, leaving behind a legacy of perseverance that continues to inspire amateur and professional stargazers alike.