Timeline · 4 events
Planet & Dwarf-Planet Discoveries
When the outer worlds of the Solar System were found.
1781
Uranus discoveredFound by William Herschel — the first planet discovered with a telescope.
1846
Neptune discoveredThe first planet found through mathematical prediction.
1930
Pluto discoveredFound by Clyde Tombaugh; long counted as the ninth planet.
2006
Pluto reclassified as a dwarf planetFollowing the IAU's formal definition of 'planet'.
Sources & references
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
- IAUInternational Astronomical Union
Official naming, definitions, constellation boundaries, and astronomical nomenclature.