Widow of Pluto's discoverer 'shook up'

August 25th, 2006 in Space & Earth / Astronomy
Widow of Pluto's discoverer 'shook up' (AP)

In this 1980 photo provided by Dale Wittner, Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh is shown outside his home in Las Cruces, N.M., with a telescope similar to one he used to find the planet years earlier. Pluto, beloved by some as a cosmic underdog but scorned by astronomers who considered it too dinky and distant, was unceremoniously stripped of its status as a planet Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006. (AP Photo/Dale Wittner)

(AP) -- The widow of the astronomer who discovered Pluto 76 years ago said Thursday she was frustrated by the decision to strip it of its planetary status, but she added that Clyde Tombaugh would have understood.

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