2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Story Behind the Debate, August 11, 2009
This review is from: Pluto Confidential: An Insider Account of the Ongoing Battles over the Status of Pluto (Paperback)
For several millennia, ever since early man first looked upward, the nighttime sky was a fixed, unchanging place. There were the stars- fixed points of light arrayed on the Celestial Sphere. Then there were the planets, four wandering stars that traveled on their own spheres. And last, the comets, visitors that blazed against the night sky. And then, at the beginning of the 17th Century, something happened that changed all that" Galileo turned his telescope heavenwards, and things were never the same again. Suddenly, there were more planets out there than were discernible with the naked eye, and a hunt for new planets began that continues to this day.
As telescopes got bigger, and with the development of film cameras and then electronic imaging, the solar systems (and the universe) started to fill up with more and more objects. There were minor planets, the asteroids- at first, confined to the space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, but later discovered all over the Solar System. As observing techniques improved, there came a slow realization that our notion of planets, asteroids, and comets was based on a somewhat selective view of our neighbors in space. The largest objects, with the least eccentric orbits, we called planets. Smaller objects with roughly circular orbits were asteroids. Small objects with eccentric objects were comets, particularly if they carried with them a good deal of frozen gas and water. Increasingly, it looked as though what we were observing was a continuum of objects that we'd somewhat arbitrarily sorted into ill-defined sets with rather fuzzy boundaries. Seeing the problem, astronomers in the late 20th Century decided to get together and come up with firm definitions of what was, and was not, a planet. That would hopefully end the debates and restore order to our view of our solar system. And it would have, except for one thing:
Pluto.
Pluto was the last of the major planets to be discovered, and it was always a bit of an oddity. For one thing, it has a companion that is so large, relative to Pluto, that it's unclear whether it should be called a moon, or a companion; the orbital center of the two objects lies between them, not inside Pluto, as it does with every other planet and its moons. For another, it has the most eccentric orbit of all the planets, spending most of its time outside the orbit of Neptune, and some of it inside. And like a comet, it's largely covered with ice. So is Pluto a planet? Is it a comet, waiting to be pulled in closer to the sun some day by the gravitational pull of the outer planets? Or is it something different altogether?
By the new 2006 IAU (International Astronomical Union) definition, Pluto would henceforth be deemed to be a a minor planet, like Ceres, and given the designation 134340. Problem solved, the members of the IAU thought- and so the uproar that followed caught them entirely unprepared. It seemed for a time that almost everyone in the world, astronomer and non-astronomer alike, had an opinion on the matter. Pluto's classification was debated in classrooms, over dinner tables, and on the evening news.
This book- Pluto Confidential- is the story of that debate, and of the history that proceeded it. Astronomer-authors Marschall and Maran stand on opposite sides of the debate, and provide the reader with a detailed understanding not only of this debate, but of the history of modern astronomy, the discovery of the planets beyond those visible with the naked eye, and even a planet (Vulcan) that never existed. There are tales of intrigue, reputations at stake, fierce competitions, and sensationalist newspaper stores- not something the average reader associates with science. The result is a volume that I think just about every professional and amateur astronomer, and every student of the history of science would enjoy.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
History, Debate, and Debacle Surrounding Pluto, July 28, 2009
This review is from: Pluto Confidential: An Insider Account of the Ongoing Battles over the Status of Pluto (Paperback)
Pluto Confidential recounts the ongoing battle qualifying Pluto's continued status as a "planet". Pluto, as the book so aptly states, is arguably the favorite planet of many and the status of the little icy world is a hot debate among astronomical professionals and average Joe's alike. Some think that the public (especially American) affinity towards Pluto is due to the Disney character with the same name. I agree with a different theory; Pluto is a favorite of American's because we love to side with an underdog. It's essentially a founding trait of ours [American's]. Pluto Confidential is more than a compendium of Pluto's status (and demotion, as the case may be) but also a brief history on other conflicts in astronomical history.
One personal favorite trend throughout the book surrounds the newfound definition of "planet". Apparently many celestial objects don't have formal definitions. To loosely quote the book, defining these objects is akin to defining pornography; it's hard to define but you know it when you see it. The book conveys a feel that the definition of planet was comprised specifically to discount Pluto as our tiny little 9th planet. Instead, Pluto is now a prototype for the `dwarf planet' classification. The intellectual in me says that this should be fine. The star-gazing little girl who still resides in a corner of my mind screams in protest. Why not allow Pluto to retain planetary status and, instead, add those "larger-than-Pluto-Kuiper-Belt-Objects" to be planets, too? Use the mass of Pluto to define planet. Not rocket science, people; and we're all happy to accept new planets rather than take away decades of learned knowledge. Enough of my opinion on Pluto, though, and more on the book...
Pluto Confidential was co-authored by two vastly credentialed and experienced professionals who actually take opposite sides of the Pluto argument. Obviously I have a tendency to side with Maran - the Pluto proponent. The book relays information in a way that most laypeople would easily grasp. The history behind planetary debates is vast and intriguing. Though I wouldn't say that the book was a "don't-put-me-down-page-turner" it maintained interest throughout and I enjoyed reading it. I believe I can argue the points of Pluto with other amateur enthusiasts confidently. If you, like I, have a penchant for the celestial, make sure that you make time for Pluto Confidential.
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