His Legacy Lives On

Clyde Tombaugh’s legacy is vibrant and continues to inspire astronomers and dreamers alike. Here’s how his work and memory live on today:

The Journey Continues with New Horizons

Clyde’s most literal legacy is currently sailing through the outer reaches of the solar system. A small portion of his ashes was placed aboard the New Horizons spacecraft, making him the first human to have their remains sent beyond the planets. This mission not only fulfilled his dream of seeing Pluto “better defined and better understood” but also extended his reach into the Kuiper Belt, a region he helped open the gateway to through his original discovery.

Preserving the “Tombaugh Collection”

At New Mexico State University (NMSU), where Clyde spent decades as a professor, his professional and personal papers are being meticulously preserved. The Clyde Tombaugh Collection includes thousands of items:

• Professional Correspondence: Detailed letters between Clyde and other leading astronomers of the mid-20th century.
• Autograph Requests: Clyde was known for his kindness, keeping a copy of every response he sent to fans and students who asked for his autograph.
• Digital Access: NMSU has launched a digitization project to make his archives available to researchers and the public worldwide.

Educational Endowments

His commitment to the future of astronomy lives on through the Clyde Tombaugh Scholars Fund. This endowment, which he spent much of his retirement building, continues to provide fellowships for young astronomers at NMSU, ensuring that financial barriers don’t stand in the way of the next great discovery—much like his own experience as a young man in Kansas.

Celestial Recognition

Beyond the heart-shaped Tombaugh Regio on Pluto, several other celestial features bear his name:

• Asteroid 1604 Tombaugh: A main-belt asteroid named in his honor.
• Tombaugh Crater on Mars: A crater on the Red Planet, which he spent so many hours observing from his backyard.

Through these honors and the ongoing exploration of the deep space he once mapped with a homemade telescope, Clyde Tombaugh remains a central figure in our quest to understand the universe.