The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet [Paperback]

Neil deGrasse Tyson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 2009

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, 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. color throughout

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From Pluto's 1930 discovery to the emotional reaction worldwide to its demotion from planetary status, astrophysicist, science popularizer and Hayden Planetarium director deGrasse Tyson (Death by Black Hole) offers a lighthearted look at the planet. Astronomical calculations predicted the presence of a mysterious and distant Planet X decades before Clyde Tombaugh spotted it in 1930. DeGrasse Tyson speculates on why straw polls show Pluto to be the favorite planet of American elementary school students (for one, Pluto sounds the most like a punch line to a hilarious joke). But Pluto's rock and ice composition, backward rotation and problematic orbit raised suspicions. As the question of Pluto's nature was being debated by scientists, the newly constructed Rose Center for Earth and Space at the Hayden Planetarium quietly but definitively relegated Pluto to the icy realm of Kuiper Belt Objects (cold, distant leftovers from the solar system's formation), raising a firestorm. Astronomers discussed and argued and finally created an official definition of what makes a planet. This account, if a bit Tyson-centric, presents the medicine of hard science with a sugarcoating of lightness and humor. 35 color and 10 b&w illus. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

An eclectic delight. Readers will laugh at the collection of song lyrics and cartoons inspired by the great Pluto-versy. . . . Smile at the photocopied letters from elementary-school children. (Fred Burtz - Seattle Times )

Expertly relates the history and science of Pluto. (Jeffrey Beall - Library Journal )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 194 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (December 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393337324
• ISBN-13: 978-0393337327
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist with the American Museum of Natural History, director of the world-famous Hayden Planetarium, a monthly columnist for Natural History, and an award-winning author. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dad's Planet, September 15, 2009

By 

Alden C. Tombaugh (Las Cruces, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet (Hardcover)

My father discovered Pluto in 1930. Neil Tyson's book is an interesting and enlightening history of the discovery and the controversy surrounding the new definition of major Planets and Tyson's decision to omit Pluto from the depiction of our solar system at the new Rose Center in New York. Although I do not agree with all his points of view, I do applaud his endeavors in astronomy, writing and education.
Alden Tombaugh

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and Engaging!, January 21, 2009

By 

Mrs. Scarola (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet (Hardcover)

Once again, Dr. Tyson engages our minds with a timely topic much grander than our own existence. My [...] science students have been enraptured by this fiery debate. Dr. Tyson is a wonderful "EXPLAINER" who makes science come alive for those with little or no formal education in the field. His writing style is identical to his witty dramatic live lectures. Highly recommended!!
Dr. Tyson... I hope you know how much the younger Americans NEED you to continue your work. Your enthusiasm for science is contagious and that is just what Young America needs to take the reins of scientific research in today's ever-changing world. You are needed and LOVED!!

Mrs. Scarola
Pembroke Pines Charter Middle School
Pembroke Pines, Florida

P.S. My students REALLY want you to come visit us. There's NO SNOW here in SE Florida!

42 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No graphics in the Kindle Edition, February 23, 2009

By 

J. Wooten - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet (Kindle Edition)

I rate the hardback book with 5 stars, but the kindle edition with only 2 stars because of the missing cartoons, photos, charts and graphics. The essay is still well worth reading, but you will miss a lot if you don't have the graphics. I ended up going to my local bookstore and purchasing the hardback when I realized that the Kindle edition had left out the 35 color illustrations and 10 black and white illustrations. I know that Kindle doesn't show color, but the color illustrations could have been reproduced in gray scale.

It is a great book, but a mediocre kindle edition.