The Pluto files

I received this book as a gift when it was released, and the "demotion" of Pluto was still a fairly hot topic. I wasn't terribly interested as I considered the whole thing pretty silly. My reaction was, "Pluto doesn't care what we call it" and "planet is a term humans invented, so there's no real scientific value." In fact, my opinion was that the term planet should only apply to the classical wanderers of the sky, and thus exclude Uranus and Neptune as well. Anyway, with the impending fly-by of Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft, I suddenly got the urge to read this book, and I have to say I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Dr Tyson's comprehensive yet easy-to-read treatment of the history of Pluto, including its predicted existence (though largely by accident), discovery, sweep into popular culture with the Disney character, and eventual "downfall" is entertaining and educational. His writing is as witty as you would expect, and I found it impossible not to hear his baritone voice while I read. He makes an excellent case for dropping this notion that we must enumerate and memorize the "planets" and instead group the Solar System bodies in ways that lead to deeper scientific insight. This is an exciting time for space exploration as we are witnessing the crossing of a new frontier, studying the icy realm of Pluto, Charon, Hydra, Nix, and Eris. The Solar System is so much more than a number.