The night sky on the night of the discovery of Pluto — 18 February 1930
On 18 February 1930 Clyde Tombaugh, a 24-year-old assistant at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, spotted a faint moving dot while comparing two photographic plates of Gemini taken in January. It was Pluto, found after a year of systematic searching. The discovery was announced on 13 March 1930.
The sky over Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
This is the real sky above Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA (35.20°N, 111.66°W) on 18 February 1930 at 22:00 MST (UTC−7) that night (1930-02-19 05:00 UTC). The Sun was 47° below the horizon: it was full night. The Moon (waning gibbous, 62% lit) was below the horizon. Planets above the horizon: Jupiter (48° in the west). Brightest named stars up: Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Procyon and Betelgeuse.
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