Pluto’s Discovery Described by Tombaugh in Handwritten Note

Other Thoughts 1 Minute

One of the most popular columns I wrote in my final year at the Houston Chronicle was about the value of Neil Armstrong’s autograph. Anthony Pizzitola, who first tipped me off to the issue, is an avid autograph collector with a particular interest people who played a role in space exploration. In light of New Horizons’ flyby of Pluto, he shared this note from Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh, which he received in 1987. As you can see, it’s far more than a simple autograph.

Clyde W Tombaugh Pluto1

Published by Loren Steffy

Loren Steffy is the author of "The Big Empty," a novel about technology and turn-of-the-century Texas. He also has written five nonfiction books, including "The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens," "George P. Mitchell: Fracking, Sustainability and an Unorthodox Quest to Save the Planet," and "The Man Who Thought Like a Ship." He is a writer at large for Texas Monthly, managing director for 30 Point Strategies and an executive producer for Rational Middle Media.

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