Demoting Pluto: The Discovery of Dwarf Planets

by Steve Kortenkamp

When is a planet not a planet? Dwarf planets orbit the sun, are solid bodies, and are not moons. But they are not considered regular planets. Learn more about these spherical oddities and why Pluto is still hotly debated today.

58 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2015

Reviews

[Alan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read non-technical snapshot of the subject

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demoting Pluto, with colorful lifelike pictures that help make the story more inviting, <>Demoting Pluto did a very good job talking about what’s in space and defining those objects.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of Pluto may find it interesting to learn more about why it was demoted to a dwarf planet, and how it isn't the only dwarf planet out there. The book contains lots of colorful artwork, enthusiastic discussion of the solar system, and explanations of how these new celestial bodies were discovered. Actually, there was photographic proof of their existence decades ago, but scientists didn't realize what they were looking at. Perhaps most interestingly, at least for me, is the consideration of whether the characteristics being used to identify planets might need to be changed at some point if a dwarf planet larger than Earth is eventually discovered. It's all very interesting.