This post comes on a different day than usual Fridays: it is out on Saturday, February 18th.
This date was chosen as a historical one. Indeed, on February 18th, 1930 Pluto was discovered. In terms of the topics explored in this blog, the discovery of Pluto is inspiring in a couple of aspects:
It was made by an outstandingly young astronomer - Clyde Tombaugh - who, at the time, was not even 25 years old.
This discovery led to the later exploration of the third zone of the Solar System (the outer, colder region further away from the planet Neptune).
Now, the reason why the first point is relevant for this blog is clear: the discovery of Pluto is a story of youth empowerment. The tenacity of young Clyde Tombaugh in his quest for a 9th planet was finally rewarded in February 1930. This shows how, experience or age is only a small factor when it comes to making an impact, while the real motor for change is perseverance and faith in one's vision. Furthermore, the story shows that to achieve certain goals cooperation between generations is needed. In the case of Tombaugh, for example, his early discovery was made possible thanks to the work of Percival Lowell.
Mr. Lowell - who is famous for his studies on Mars - was the first to dream about the existence of this planet and set up the observatory where then Tombough finally made the discovery, after Lowell's passing. In synthesis, Tombaugh was standing on the shoulder of a giant, but that did not stop him from looking even further.
Close-up of the planet Pluto, picture by Pexels
Mr. Tombaugh looked indeed way further than Mr. Lowell as he discovered what we considered for years the planet farthest away from the Sun in our Solar System. Fast-forward to 2023 and Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet, but its discovery is still full of meaning. The finding led to an era of further exploration of space, which shed a light on the mysterious and cold third zone of the Solar System. It is not the case that, in 2015, the New Horizon spacecraft carried to Pluto the ashes of Mr. Tombaugh.
This is a beautiful way to see how past dreams - the ones of Tombaugh and Lowell - are still present with us. Not only this, but Pluto is going to be crucial in the future as well: the potential presence of an interior ocean in the dwarf planet is something scientists are interested in researching further, as it might help in understanding finally if there is life beyond Earth.
I think that, from a sociological point of view, Pluto's discovery is a remarkable metaphor. On this blog, where inclusion is the over-arching theme, the "outsider" of the Solar System becomes a symbol for societal outsiders. In everyday life, there are people who we struggle to label (are they planets? Are they dwarf planets?) and that we struggle to understand because they are mysterious, and too far away from the norm. Nonetheless, often these are the people who drive the changes in society because they refuse to conform. Many times changes do not happen within a generation and some movements take even centuries to see their goal achieved.
As Mr. Tombaugh stood on the shoulder of a giant, we are all standing a bit taller today thanks to the work of our parents, grandparents, and ancestors in guaranteeing us freedom. Yet, the quest is not over: there is always something outside our reach that needs to be discovered, we just need to be willing to constantly challenge ourselves. Paraphrasing what Oscar Wilde once said: it is not really important if we are all in the gutter, what matters is to remember to keep looking at the stars.
Love,
Elena
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