How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

Mike Brown

Dec 2010 · Sold by Random House

About this ebook

The solar system most of us grew up with included nine planets, with Mercury closest to the sun and Pluto at the outer edge. Then, in 2005, astronomer Mike Brown made the discovery of a lifetime: a tenth planet, Eris, slightly bigger than Pluto. But instead of adding one more planet to our solar system, Brown’s find ignited a firestorm of controversy that culminated in the demotion of Pluto from real planet to the newly coined category of “dwarf” planet. Suddenly Brown was receiving hate mail from schoolchildren and being bombarded by TV reporters—all because of the discovery he had spent years searching for and a lifetime dreaming about.

A heartfelt and personal journey filled with both humor and drama, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming is the book for anyone, young or old, who has ever imagined exploring the universe—and who among us hasn’t?

Ratings and reviews

Very interesting book. As endearing as it was, by the end I skipped over most of the parts where the author talks about his personal romantic and family life. But aside from that, the story of the discoveries the author made, his scientific integrity, conviction and beliefs were a nicely integrated to all the information that is shared along the way about being an astronomer, planets, stars and our solar system.

a peek inside the scientific mind. mike brown charts becoming an astronomer his daughters early life and the skies. easy to read,easy to understand for the general science reader (like me).how i killed pluto shows mike browns dedication to science.even at the cost of his own great discovery.

Great literary account of the backstory and scientific discoveries that led to the reclassification of Pluto. Really appreciate theme of remaining true to the tenets of science and scientific discovery.

About the author

Mike Brown is the Richard and Barbara Rosenberg Professor of Planetary Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology. In 2006 he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 People Who Shape Our World as well as one of Los Angeles magazine’s Most Influential People in L.A. He lives in Southern California with his wife and daughter.