In 2005, astronomer Mike Brown announced the discovery of a planet beyond Pluto, the “Planet X” that astronomers had theorized since the 1970s (later to be named Eris). However, instead of adding to list of known planets in the Solar System, it compelled the scientific community to reassess the precise definition of a planet and ultimately demoted Pluto, stripping it of its “planet” status.
How I Killed Pluto tells the unlikely story of a University of California, Berkeley grad student, who diverted the subject of his PhD dissertation from the volcanic moon of Jupiter to the search for a distant planet. Mike Brown interweaves his personal life – meeting his wife, vacationing, the birth of his daughter – and his collegiate/professional life, since much of his work and some of the happy accidents that led to his discovery were at least influenced by his life outside of astronomy. This autobiographical account paints an amazing picture of the amount of work – and genius – required to accomplish what high school and college astronomy students have been taught could not be accomplished.
Dr. Brown also shares some of the history of astronomy, from the five-object, heliocentric view of the Solar System to the six-planet version of the eighteenth century to the eleven (yes, eleven)-planet Solar System of the 1830s, ending up at the discovery of Pluto. He presents the reasoning behind Pluto’s downgrade to “dwarf planet” and interjects a good deal of humor into the account. How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming is an informative and fascinating read.
