Burdett in Pawnee County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Discoverer of Pluto

Courtesy of Elizabeth Winter, May 2, 2014

1. Discoverer of Pluto Marker

Inscription. Burdett is the boyhood home of Dr. Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of the planet Pluto. Born in Illinois in 1906, he grew up on a farm northwest of here and was graduated from Burdett High School in 1925.

During his youth, Tombaugh explored the heavens with homemade telescopes. Later he was hired by Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, and discovered Pluto, the outermost planet in our solar system, in 1930.

During his planet search, Tombaugh photographed 65 percent of the sky and spent 7,000 hours examining about 90 million star images. Besides Pluto, his discoveries included six star clusters, one cloud of galaxies, one comet and about 775 asteroids. Few astronomers have seen so much of the universe in such minute detail.

Dr. Tombaugh earned degrees from the University of Kansas and Northern Arizona University. He concluded his career as an astronomy professor at New Mexico State University.

Erected by Lions Club, Burdett American Legion. (Marker Number 109.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.

Location. 38° 11.374′ N, 99° 31.773′ W. Marker is in Burdett, Kansas, in Pawnee County. Marker is at the intersection of Broadway Avenue (Kansas Route 156

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) and Maple Street, on the right when traveling east on Broadway Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Burdett KS 67523, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Confrontation Ridge, April 14, 1867 (approx. 0.8 miles away); Wellmanville (approx. 11½ miles away).

Photographed By Caleb McJunkin, March 15, 2023

2. Discoverer of Pluto Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 710 times since then and 216 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 17, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2. submitted on March 12, 2023, by Caleb McJunkin of Burdett, Kansas.