The dwarf planet Pluto had a special “birthday” this month. 95 years ago, on February 18, 1930, Pluto was discovered. American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh spotted the dwarf planet using a telescope at Lowell Observatory, in Flagstaff, Arizona. At that time, it was classified as a planet: the first planet discovered in 84 years. But in 2006, astronomers reclassified Pluto. Now, it’s considered a dwarf planet, because of its small size and limited orbit.
Scientists are still learning about Pluto’s atmosphere. The little world received its first visit from Earth in 2015. That’s when the New Horizons spacecraft flew nearby and photographed it. At the time, mission operations manager Alice Bowman released a statement calling the pictures a “pot of gold” for planetary research.
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