Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto, was born on this day in 1906.
Even though Tombaugh was born in Illinois, went to college at the University of Kansas, and spent much of his later professional career at New Mexico State University, Arizona can also claim him as one of its own.
He discovered Pluto at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff and spent many years in the city. I was most fortunate to know Clyde and his beautiful wife, Patsy. Even though he was a world-famous scientist, he was a delightful person with a sparkle in his eye and a love for crow jokes.
On Friday look at the southeastern predawn sky starting at 6:35 a.m. Mercury will be 9 degrees above the horizon.
Slightly higher is the ever-brilliant Venus, and 8 degrees above Venus is the 26-day-old moon. Saturday morning the very thin crescent of the 27-day-old moon will only be 3 degrees above Mercury.
On these morning viewings don’t stop at the moon. Look higher up to see Saturn near the bright red star Antares, the heart of Scorpius the Scorpion.
Still higher up is red Mars, directly south and 40-plus degrees above the horizon.
Bright Jupiter is in the western sky. Follow Mercury in the morning sky for a few days. Mercury is at its greatest western elongation (distance from the sun) on Sunday morning. It will be 25.6 degrees from the sun then.
