A ’20s farm boy couldn’t afford a telescope, so he built one. Later, he discovered a planet.

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…