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

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Key Phrases: belt object, The Pluto Files, Pluto Divides the Nation, Mark Sykes (more...)

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.)
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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 ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (January 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393065200
• ISBN-13: 978-0393065206
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #147,396 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 31 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

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!

19 of 22 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)

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.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pluto Praugnosis looks favorable, January 24, 2009

By	George Cooper - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A contemporary topic, Pluto's planetary reclassification calamity has been both an emotional and a scientific issue ever since the N.Y. Times revealed that the Rose Center (Hayden Planetarium) had left Pluto out of the planetary lineup. Dr. Tyson has been in the thick of it even before the story broke. His account of the events and colorful comments that ensued is enjoyably portrayed throughout the book. As in his other books, his effervescent writing style makes this book an easy read even though he includes a lot of names and facts pertinent to the history if Pluto and its new status. It is a short 160 page book filled with many color images and illustrations, which allowed me to read it in only one day. Many, if not most, of the images are quite humorous adding to the enjoyment. Young and old will enjoy will enjoy this book!

Regarding the ongoing, though likely diminishing, debate about Pluto's status, I liked his statement, "You're having an argument over something you generate rather than what is fundamental to the universe." Science is about organization of objective discoveries, and subjective views should always play a subordinate roll. This includes those warm fuzzies we feel for certain traditional views, including Pluto's prior rank as planet. Science is not about a consensus of our feelings, but whether or not quality science is being conducted. Dr. Tyson presents the objective evidence of both sides fairly, and gives lucid reasoning for his position, which I suspect most scientifically-minded folks will eventually concur with his views.