Public Reaction
Immediately following the discovery of Planet X, Lowell Observatory received hundreds of requests for photos, data, and glass lantern slides. The document to the left recorded by a secretary at the observatory captures the variety and quantity of information requests that the staff received daily. One request comes as far as the University of Allahabad in India. Newspapers especially pressured the observatory to grant them exclusive access to information regarding the planet. A scan from a 1931 issue of the Flagstaff publication, The Coconino Sun, pictured above claims that there was "probably not a newspaper of note in the world which [did] not [carry] the story in some form." The newspaper details some of the requests that the observatory received following their announcement of a new planet. Photographs of Clyde Tombuagh and V.M. Slipher are also included alongside descriptions of their involvement in the discovery.
The New York Times sent a request via telegram, displayed below, for more details about the discovery of Planet X on the day that the observatory announced their findings to the public. They also requested a statement from those involved, which included Clyde Tombaugh and the observatory's director, V.M. Slipher. The telegram below from the North American Newspaper alliance offered the observatory one hundred dollars in exchange for a five hundred word statement about Planet X's discovery. It also features the contingency that no other newspaper would have access to the same information until their newspapers are released, which highlights the widespread interest in the story. Such frenzy surrounding the discovery of the new planet is captured not only in the number of information requests and the language of those petitions, but also in the writings of Lowell Observatory's staff. V.M. Slipher recounted that the press swarmed Mars Hill in the hopes of securing details for their readers. A journal entry from an unknown staff member claimed that the correspondence was so abundant, the observatory had difficulties responding to every message they received. The telegram below from Lowell’s sole trustee responds to the enthusiasm by urging the observatory staff to oblige the public's requests and “feed them what they want.”
While Lowell Observatory and amateur astronomers collected data about the new planet, the public immediately turned their attention towards finding a name for the solar system's newest edition. Newspapers like the Chicago Herald-Examiner held contests for their readers to submit name suggestions, and they sent the winners’ choices to the observatory for consideration. The letter to the left is from a contestant and resident of Chicago, Illinois, Jack Melone, who proposed the name “Salofa.” Melone’s suggestion captures important aspects of the planet’s discovery, including initials from the city of Flagstaff where Lowell Observatory is located. His letter also showcases the public’s eagerness to participate in the discovery.
Below is a telegram from a twelve-year-old British girl, Venetia Burney, who is credited by Lowell Observatory as the first person to suggest the name "Pluto," for the new planet. Venetia shared the name with her grandfather, who then had a telegram sent to the observatory for consideration. Unfortunately for Venetia, the typist who recorded the message grossly mispelled her name, but that has not overshadowed the importance of her contribution. The observatory staff took a vote on names for the planet submitted by the public, and Venetia's suggestion of "Pluto" won the majority vote.
Venetia Burney and Jack Melone were not the only ones to send recommendations about names for the new planet; Lowell Observatory received hundreds of letters with name suggestions that varied in sentiment, from mythological to personal. Click here to read some of these letters and explore a map that traces their origins.
The letter to the right sent by a thirteen-year-old astronomer from New York highlights the growing interest in space exploration, especially amongst America's younger generation, influenced by the discovery of Pluto. The observatory received dozens of letters from youth between the ages of eight and eighteen with name suggestions, requests for information on the new planet, and their plans to continue studying the cosmos. Viewers of all ages became interested in astronomy and regularly followed newspaper reports with the latest data. The more enthusiastic individuals wrote to Lowell Observatory themselves to request any information that astronomers were willing to provide. The following letter from a former acquaintance of Percival Lowell, Frank Seagrave, explains that Dr. Lowell had promised him the opportunity to calculate Planet X's orbit if the planet was ever found. His letter includes requests for photographs, initial calculations, and the names of researchers from other observatories who are also studying the planet. Another solicitation from Miguel Muelle y Leon in Lima, Peru also asks for details about Planet X in addition to a signed copy of Percival Lowell's memoir, which features his initial predictions about a trans-Neptunian planet. This letter comes months after the initial excitement surrounding Planet X, after the observatory decided on the name "Pluto," and it underlines a persistent interest in planetary science.
Early images of the new planet also aided the public's growing interest in astronomy. A letter from Sandford E. Greenwald at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, featured below explains that the first image of "Planet X" will be screened at the theatre in April of 1930. The decision to highlight the photo in a public theatre further proves the widespread interest in and relevance to local communities. The screening of Pluto's discovery image also makes Pluto the first planet whose discovery was celebrated on the silver screen.
In addition to the support from the general public, Lowell Observatory also received congratulatory messages from other scientists and observatories around the world. The famous American Astronomer and founder of Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona, A.E. Douglass, was one of the first to send a celebratory telegram expressing his contentment with the discovery being made in Arizona. Across the Atlantic Ocean, the Royal Astronomical Society of England followed suit and sent their regards to Lowell Observatory for its “great discovery” of a trans-Neptunian planet. The R. Stazione Astronomica in Carloforte, Italy also conveyed their excitement about the new planet and recognized its importance to the field of astronomy in the letter below. The telegram states that “the astronomers of the R. International Station of Latitude of Carloforte participate with the most lively enthusiasm in the historic discovery of the trans-Neptunian planet and send their triple heartfelt 'urrah' to their brave colleagues from overseas!" Such response from respected astronomers and institutions not only emphasizes the significance of Planet X itself, but affirms the growing influence that awaited Lowell Observatory following its discovery of a ninth planet.
