Clyde Tombaugh’s passion for astronomy began in 1918, when he was only 12 years old, sparked by an uncle who had given him his first small telescope and a few astronomy textbooks. 

However, Tombaugh’s finances didn’t support this passion. Due to a bad corn harvest in 1920, Tombaugh dropped out of high school for a year to help restore his family’s farm in Kansas. Then in 1928, a hailstorm yet again ruined the family’s crops, as well as the young man’s hopes for attending college. 

And yet, what Tombaugh lacked in resources, he made up for in determination and resourcefulness.

In 1926, he began building his own telescope using objects he found around the farm. According to The Saturday Evening Post, Tombaugh’s makeshift device was made up of an axle from his father’s old Buick, metal tubing from a grain elevator, an outdoor water faucet, and assorted machine gears.

Using this DIY telescope, Tombaugh was able to make observations about Mars and........

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