Introduction to the Book: How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

I'm reading the book titled How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming. I chose this book because I really enjoy learning about science, and the solar system is so interesting. My father works at NASA JPL as a fireman and EMT. Upon visiting him, I have experienced a lot of behind the scenes information in the labs. Being exposed to this has really sparked my interest in space. 

What I know so far about this book, is that it centers around the discovery of Eris and the new definition of "planet." I also have read that it is an easy read that is an enjoyable memoir and that it is a good way to easily learn a bit more about science.

So far, I have read the prologue, which discusses an overview of how the author discovered the planet Xena. Xena was a planet that was closely tied to Pluto. When the world went to vote on whether or not Pluto was a planet, they were simultaneously voting on Xena. And that vote was that they were no longer planets, crushing the author's wife.

I also read the first chapter, in which the author goes back to his days spent in the big Hale Dome, where he first thought that there may be a planet after Pluto. He delves into a discussion about how he initially got his hunch that there was another planet, when he heard about the Kuiper belt beyond Neptune. That is when the author created a bet with his friend, that someone would find the planet before December 31, 2004. The author delves into a backstory about how he became interested in planets by watching Jupiter and Saturn move their locations in the night sky. Finally he closes the chapter saying that it is hard to define what a planet really is.

So far this book is very casual and easy to read, and thus enjoyable!
-KT