Page "Planets beyond Neptune" Paragraph 24

Some astronomers expressed scepticism at the result.

Shortly after its discovery in 1930, Armin O. Leuschner disputed Pluto's status, suggesting that its dimness and high orbital eccentricity made it more similar to an asteroid or comet ; " The Lowell result confirms the possible high eccentricity announced by us on April 5.

Among the possibilities are a large asteroid greatly disturbed in its orbit by close approach to a major planet such as Jupiter, or it may be one of many long-period planetary objects yet to be discovered, or a bright cometary object.

" In 1931, Ernest W. Brown asserted, using a mathematical formula, that the observed irregularities in the orbit of Uranus could not be due to the gravitational effect of a more distant planet, and thus that Lowell's supposed prediction was " purely accidental.