The Hunt for Planet X

Based on interviews with astronomers, this book reads like a scientific 'whodunnit', going from disappointment to elation in the hunt for 'Planet X'. Science writer Govert Schilling introduces the heroes in the race to find a new world in our solar system.


Ever since the serendipitous discovery of planet Uranus in 1871, astronomers have been hunting for new worlds in the outer regions of our solar system. This exciting and ongoing quest culminated recently in the discovery of hundreds of ice dwarfs in the Kuiper belt, robbed Pluto from its 'planet' status, and led to a better understanding of the origin of the solar system. This timely book reads like a scientific 'who done it', going from the heights of discovery to the depths of disappointment in the hunt for 'Planet X'. Based on many personal interviews with astronomers, the well-known science writer Govert Schilling introduces the heroes in the race to be the first in finding another world, bigger than Pluto.

Reads like a scientific detective story, describing the highs and lows of the hunt for Planet X and the astronomical race to be the first to find an object larger than Pluto A hypertopical book that offers a vivid portrayal of the way in which modern science is conducted Contains at least 20 beautiful color photos which help guide the reader through the story Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext
Govert Schilling ist bekannt als Wissenschaftsjournalist und schreibt für Magazine wie 'Science', 'National Geographis' und 'Sky & Telescope'. Lange Jahre tätig beim Artis Planetarium in Amsteram. Zahlreiche Buchpublikationen zum Thema Astronomie. Der Autor lebt mit seiner Familie in Utrecht, Niederlande.

Klappentext
"The Hunt for Planet X is a fascinating tale by one of the world's premier astronomy writers. Govert Schilling is not only scrupulously accurate, he writes beautifully as well."
Stephen P. Maran, Author of "Astronomy for Dummies" and Press Officer, American Astronomical Society "The Hunt for Planet X is an adventure story or, more accurately, a series of adventure stories. Schilling tells them well, capturing both the science and the people involved. It starts with the classics: Uranus, Neptune and Pluto; and moves all over the solar system as ground-based astronomers and space scientists pour over measurements and observations to try to understand the worlds around us. Current debates about the Pioneer Anomaly and the definition of what is a planet make the book current as well as a good history."
Dr. Louis Friedman, Executive Director, The Planetary Society "This exciting tale of the centuries-old search for new planets in the solar system reads like a thriller. It is an adventure packed with fierce competition, brilliant discoveries, dumb errors, lucky coincidences and artful intrigue in short, the full spectrum of the human drama. The story reaches an exciting climax in 2006, when we lost Pluto as a planet but gained a number of ice dwarfs in return. This colorful account chock-full of fascinating details is an excellent metaphor for the great adventure of science."
Robbert Dijkgraaf, Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Amsterdam   The Hunt for Planet X: New Worlds and the Fate of Pluto goes beyond a standard scientific read, encompassing who, and what, is involved in the pursuit of planetary endeavors. Touching on over three-hundred years of debates, debacles and discoveries, this book offers the reader insight into the minds and motives of planetary astronomers and their findings. The "hunt" continues tothe outer-most regions of the solar system, and Govert Schilling states this search will not cease: "Astronomy is an adventurous science," he writes, and without adventure and those who seek it out the universe would otherwise remain mysterious. The real-life characters presented in The Hunt for Planet X look for glimpses of light in the dark, from icy Kuiper Belt objects to full-fledged planets, in the process challenging how such worlds should be defined and ultimately describing the Universe.

Inhalt
A larger solar system [Eise Eisinga].- Eleven planets [Giuseppe Piazzi, Johannes Kepler, Johann Elert Bode, Baron Franz Xaver von Zach, Heinrich Olbers].- The writing desk planet [Elaine Mac-Auliffe, Olin Eggen, George Biddell Airy, John Couch Adams, Urbain Jean-Joseph Le Verrier].- 'I've found your Planet X' [Carl Lampland, Clyde Tombaugh, Percival Lowell, William Pickering].- The kid planet [Venetia Phair-Burney, Venetia Burney, Herbert Turner, Falconer Madan].- A strange and wonderful week [Jim Christy, Bob Harrington].- Fortunate circumstances [Marc Buie].- Nix and Hydra [Max Mutchler, Andrew Steffl].- The unauthorized planet [Charles Kowal].- Uranus: problem solved? [Myles Standish, Tom Van Flandern].- Mysterious forces [Giacomo Giampieri, John Anderson].- The hunt for the Death Star [Richard Muller, Marc Davis, Piet Hut].- The secret planet [Zecharia Sitchin].- Vulcanoids and Earth-grazers [Dan Durda, Alan Stern, David Tholen].- The Kuiper connection [Gerard Kuiper].- Comet puzzles [Martin Duncan, Jan Oort, Julio Fernández].- Smiley [Dave Jewitt, Jane Luu].- Family portraits [Chad Trujillo].- The migrating planet [Renu Malhotra, Wing-Huen Ip].- Icy treasure troves [Dale Cruikshank, Carl Pilcher, David Rabinowitz].- The big five [Mike Brown].- The tenth planet.- The Spanish invasion [Pablo Santos-Sanz, José-Luis Ortiz, Reiner Stoss].- Pas de deux [Robin Canup, Bill McKinnon].- Model from Nice [Hal Levison, Alessandro Morbidelli].- Planet under siege [Brian Marsden, Mike A'Hearn, David Levy].- Planetary elections [Owen Gingerich, Jocelyn Bell Burnell].- The continuing story [Patsy Tombaugh].- A thousand planets [Alan Stern, Brett Gladman].- New Horizons.

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