The Case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made a Big Difference

By Alan Boyle

In support of Pluto-the cutest and most unfairly treated planet

Pity poor Pluto: It's a planet that was discovered because of a mistake, a planet that turned out not to be a planet at all, thanks to a still-disputed decision made in 2006. And yet, Pluto is the planet best-loved by Americans, especially children, one that may have contained the building blocks of life billions of years ago and may well serve as life's last redoubt billions of years from now.

In The Case for Pluto, award-winning science writer Alan Boyle traces the tiny planet's ups and downs, its strange appeal, the reasons behind its demotion, and the reasons why it should be set back in the planetary pantheon.

• Tells the compelling story of Pluto's discovery and how it became a cultural icon
• Makes the case for Pluto as planet, countering the books that argue against it
• Comes in a small, friendly package — just like Pluto — and features a handsome design, making it a great gift

The Case for Pluto is the must-read tale of a cosmic underdog that has captured the hearts of millions: an endearing little planet that is changing the way we see the universe beyond our backyard.

Alan Boyle is MSNBC.com’s science editor and the award-winning blogger behind Cosmic Log. He’s been a talking head on NBC’s The Today Show and the MSNBC cable channel, holding forth on scientific subjects ranging from the chances of an asteroid Armageddon to the 3-D wizardry behind the “Harry Potter” movies. But he writes better than he talks.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Oct 22, 2009
• ISBN: 9780470541906

Reviews for The Case for Pluto

[doingdewey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Case for Pluto covers essentially the same material as The Pluto Files but in much greater depth on the personal side and a little more detail on the scientific side. I liked this book better because of that greater depth, but it was still a pretty dry read and had very few funny bits to lighten things up. The author makes two basic arguments for considering Pluto a planet. The scientific argument is that all objects with enough gravity to become round should be planets, because this is a non-arbitrary physical property. And of course the second argument is a sentimental look at Pluto’s historical significance. While the sphere argument is somewhat compelling, it does have the unfortunate problem of creating tons of planets (many asteroids and Kuiper belt objects meet this criteria, as do many moons), making planet a large enough category it’s useless without sub-categories. Although unconvinced by the main point of this book, it was an interesting read and I very much enjoyed the final chapter describing future research directions. I would recommend it to anyone just looking to learn some more facts about Pluto.

[jcbrunner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At the close of the American century, it is only fitting that the first US discovered planet, Pluto, was relegated to dwarf planet status when a new dwarf planet called Eris was discovered in 2005. This triggered an emotionally charged battle between lumpers and splitters - which the splitters won by creating a new intermediate category of "dwarf planets".The American planet never matched either the terrean planets or the gas giants that constitute our solar system. Pluto fits much better into the ragtag bunch of objects that inhabit the Kuiper belt. In 2015, the New Horizons probe will for the first time provide us with close-up images of Pluto and later Kuiper belt objects.In the mean time, this booklet offers an agreeable introduction of Pluto's discovery, naming and its status relegation.