Book Review of How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown
A Fascinating Glimpse at the Life of a Modern Astronomer
How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown is entertaining and informative. While it is mostly about the search for other planets in our solar system, and how Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet, he covers meeting and marrying his wife and the birth of their daughter.
I was unaware of the history of the discovery of different planets. I had no idea that Ceres and other asteroids had been considered planets in the 19th Century. (Now, Ceres is considered a dwarf planet while Pallas, Juno, and Vesta are asteroids.)
The book is appropriate for adults, teenagers, or older children if it is at their reading level and would be a nice addition to a school or classroom library. There is no profanity and the adult situations that come up involve scientific integrity, i.e. taking credit for others’ work. It is a fascinating glimpse of how modern astronomy works.
