Clyde Tombaugh was an American astronomer best known for discovering the dwarf planet Pluto in 1930. He used a technique called "blink comparison" to compare photographs of the night sky taken at different times, which helped him spot the moving object that was Pluto. This discovery made him famous and significantly contributed to our understanding of the solar system. Born on February 4, 1906, in Streator, Illinois, Tombaugh had a passion for astronomy from a young age. He worked at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, where he conducted his groundbreaking research. Throughout his career, Tombaugh continued to study celestial bodies and contributed to the field of astronomy until his passing in 1997.