The Pluto Files
Books | Science / Space Science / Astronomy
Neil deGrasse Tyson
The New York Times bestseller: "You gotta read this. It is the most exciting book about Pluto you will ever read in your life." —Jon Stewart When the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History reclassified Pluto as an icy comet, the New York Times proclaimed on page one, "Pluto Not a Planet? Only in New York." Immediately, the public, professionals, and press were choosing sides over Pluto's planethood. Pluto is entrenched in our cultural and emotional view of the cosmos, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, award-winning author and director of the Rose Center, is on a quest to discover why. He stood at the heart of the controversy over Pluto's demotion, and consequently Plutophiles have freely shared their opinions with him, including endless hate mail from third-graders. With his inimitable wit, Tyson delivers a minihistory of planets, describes the oversized characters of the people who study them, and recounts how America's favorite planet was ousted from the cosmic hub.
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Author
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Pages
224
Publisher
National Geographic Books
Published Date
2014-09-02
ISBN
0393350363 9780393350364
Community ReviewsSee all
"Growing up, I had always loved the idea that Pluto was the ninth planet in the Solar System. It had been my favorite planet because it seemed to be always neglected when it came to discussing the planets of the Outer system. I was even more disappointed when I learned that it had been demoted from a major player to that of a supporting role of dwarf planet. <br/><br/>With the recent renewal interest of Pluto due to the flyby of New Horizons, I thought this book was the perfect read. <br/><br/>I was not entirely disappointed. <br/><br/>It was a nice light read filled with information from the mythology of the namesake Roman God of the Dead to the idea of people believing the planet was named after Mickey Mouse's dog, Pluto, to the cartoons. There were times I felt like the author was being defensive in trying to make a case for the reasoning behind the demotion of Pluto but it fell short to me. I guess I am just one of those older generations that has yet gotten over the idea and maybe I won't be ever.<br/><br/>Still a nice read and one that people will either really enjoy or be disappointed by the reasoning and information provided."
Susanna Bloom