Clyde William Tombaugh (; February 4, 1906January 17, 1997) was an American
astronomer. He discovered
Pluto in 1930, the first object to be discovered in what would later be identified as the
Kuiper belt. At the time of discovery, Pluto was considered a
planet but was later reclassified as a
dwarf planet. Tombaugh also discovered many
asteroids. He also called for the serious scientific research of
unidentified flying objects, or UFOs.