How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown
The astronomer who inadvertently triggered the "demotion" of Pluto in his effort to officially recognize the solar system's tenth planet, describes the ensuing debates and public outcry while revealing the behind the scenes story of discovery.
The world felt the shock of betrayal when it was announced that Pluto was no longer qualified to be a planet. Among those who vehemently opposed this decision, astronomer Mike Brown is public enemy #1. He is the man responsible for "killing" our ninth planet, and, surprisingly, he did it by finding a tenth one. In this scientific memoir, Brown explains the process involved in discovering planetary objects, his own struggle with the definition of a planet, and the strange politics and contention that comes when trying to make changes in our solar system.
As someone who is not very scientifically minded, I love reading what scientists write. Brown has a passion for his work that is apparent, and it makes the reader care about space as much as he does. There is so much to learn about how the universe works, and Mike Brown did a great job at teaching concepts in an interesting and understandable way. I really liked learning about the telescopes and how often they're used and how you have to schedule them, it's just something I'd never thought about until now.
Throughout the book, Brown also talks about his family. While some people might not like that because they want to focus on the science, I thought it was very sweet how he loved his family, and it was funny how he seemed to approach being a father just like a scientist, using charts and graphs to track her growth and sleeping habits.
I started this book with skepticism, thinking there was no way he could convince me that Pluto wasn't a planet, and yet, here I am convinced. My love for Pluto will never die, but I'll just have to mark it down as my favorite "dwarf planet".
You can find this book in the adult non-fiction section of the library.
The world felt the shock of betrayal when it was announced that Pluto was no longer qualified to be a planet. Among those who vehemently opposed this decision, astronomer Mike Brown is public enemy #1. He is the man responsible for "killing" our ninth planet, and, surprisingly, he did it by finding a tenth one. In this scientific memoir, Brown explains the process involved in discovering planetary objects, his own struggle with the definition of a planet, and the strange politics and contention that comes when trying to make changes in our solar system.
As someone who is not very scientifically minded, I love reading what scientists write. Brown has a passion for his work that is apparent, and it makes the reader care about space as much as he does. There is so much to learn about how the universe works, and Mike Brown did a great job at teaching concepts in an interesting and understandable way. I really liked learning about the telescopes and how often they're used and how you have to schedule them, it's just something I'd never thought about until now.
Throughout the book, Brown also talks about his family. While some people might not like that because they want to focus on the science, I thought it was very sweet how he loved his family, and it was funny how he seemed to approach being a father just like a scientist, using charts and graphs to track her growth and sleeping habits.
I started this book with skepticism, thinking there was no way he could convince me that Pluto wasn't a planet, and yet, here I am convinced. My love for Pluto will never die, but I'll just have to mark it down as my favorite "dwarf planet".
You can find this book in the adult non-fiction section of the library.
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