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A review by cmpete
The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet by Neil deGrasse Tyson
4.0
The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet is a short expedition into the history, culture and controversy of Pluto, formerly known as our 9th planet. Neil deGrasse Tyson takes on a whirlwind tour of how Pluto went from the puniest planet to the king of the Kuiper (rhymes with piper) Belt. Dr. Tyson is keen on the controversy because he ended up in the middle of it. Well, really he was at the beginning, middle, and end of it since it was his planetarium's decision to group the bodies in space by type (rather than just numbering out the planets) that got the whole commotion started. Recall the New York Times headline: Pluto Not a Planet? Only in New York. Yeah, that was him (and his committee that decided to arrange the museum a little differently).
If you've seen him on The Daily Show, etc, you know that Neil deGrasse Tyson postulates that the controversy stemmed from America's love affair with another beloved Pluto, namely the Mickey's pet dog. Or that maybe it's because we all learned the mnemonic My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas and we just can't let it go. In any case, the controversy was barely acknowledged outside of the United States. After the International Astronomical Union voted to demote Pluto, an online protest petition was created; In the end, about 80% of it's 300-odd signers were from the US, despite thousands of IAU members from around the world.
We delve deep into the communications and debates surrounding Pluto's demotion. Letters from agitated students whose favorite planet is Pluto will make you smile. But, what you really walk away with is a sense that there are some very sentimental scientists out there that continue/d to fight for Pluto's status as a planet despite its many abnormalities. Thankfully, there are many more that keep in mind that science is about logic, not sentiment and historical precedent. All of the arguments are laid out in various communications, newspaper articles, and panel discussions, but Dr. Tyson parlays their logic into a clear and often witty narrative.
You also get some history about planetary science in general. Did you know that until this Pluto debacle, there was no official definition for a planet? There seemed to be some general ideas - that it should be round and go around the sun (but not another thing, like a moon would). But, a lot of asteroids are round, comets can be round and definitely go around the sun, etc. By the end, you will be well educated on what can count as a planet, and specifically why Pluto is not one any more.
This book is aimed at the layperson who just happens to be curious about all that fuss around Pluto, and it fills that role spectacularly. For the more scientifically inclined, there are a load of references to further satiate your needs. Still, The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet is a great sojourn into planetary science.
If you've seen him on The Daily Show, etc, you know that Neil deGrasse Tyson postulates that the controversy stemmed from America's love affair with another beloved Pluto, namely the Mickey's pet dog. Or that maybe it's because we all learned the mnemonic My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas and we just can't let it go. In any case, the controversy was barely acknowledged outside of the United States. After the International Astronomical Union voted to demote Pluto, an online protest petition was created; In the end, about 80% of it's 300-odd signers were from the US, despite thousands of IAU members from around the world.
We delve deep into the communications and debates surrounding Pluto's demotion. Letters from agitated students whose favorite planet is Pluto will make you smile. But, what you really walk away with is a sense that there are some very sentimental scientists out there that continue/d to fight for Pluto's status as a planet despite its many abnormalities. Thankfully, there are many more that keep in mind that science is about logic, not sentiment and historical precedent. All of the arguments are laid out in various communications, newspaper articles, and panel discussions, but Dr. Tyson parlays their logic into a clear and often witty narrative.
You also get some history about planetary science in general. Did you know that until this Pluto debacle, there was no official definition for a planet? There seemed to be some general ideas - that it should be round and go around the sun (but not another thing, like a moon would). But, a lot of asteroids are round, comets can be round and definitely go around the sun, etc. By the end, you will be well educated on what can count as a planet, and specifically why Pluto is not one any more.
This book is aimed at the layperson who just happens to be curious about all that fuss around Pluto, and it fills that role spectacularly. For the more scientifically inclined, there are a load of references to further satiate your needs. Still, The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet is a great sojourn into planetary science.