Pluto and Charon: Ice Worlds on the Ragged Edge of the Solar System, 2nd Edition - Hardcover

Alan Stern; Jacqueline Mitton

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3527405569 ISBN 13: 9783527405565

Publisher: Wiley-VCH, 2005

Synopsis

The exploration of the ninth planet, Pluto, its moon, Charon, and their relationship to the newly discovered Kuiper Belt, is a tale of perseverance, ingenuity and dedication on the part of the planetary scientists who have been lured by the fascination of these far–flung miniature worlds. In Pluto and Charon, Alan Stern and Jacqueline Mitton turn that story into an entertaining adventure, starting with the discovery of Pluto by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. In a highly accessible narrative, they bring to life the many ′Plutophiles′, who with skill and resourcefulness have pieced together over several decades an amazingly detailed picture of the nature of Pluto and Charon. The book also documents vividly the struggle by Plutophiles and the public to persuade NASA to fund a mission to Pluto, the only planet not yet explored from close proximity by a spacecraft. Hopes were alternately raised and dashed before eventual victory. At last, New Horizons (led by author Stern as Principal Investigator) is due to be launched in early 2006 on a 9–year journey to Pluto, Charon and beyond. For this second edition, Stern and Mitton have brought their 1998 book fully up to date, including the latest discoveries about Pluto′s ancient relationship with the members of the Kuiper Belt of icy bodies and dwarf planets beyond Neptune. They have also added a completely new chapter on the New Horizons mission.

About this title

Review:

Rave reviews for Pluto and Charon 1/E: Ice Worlds on the Ragged Edge of the Solar System

"The story of the quest to understand Pluto and the resulting transformation of our concept of the diminutive planet from that of solar–system misfit to king of the Kuiper Belt is told in this book by Alan Stern and Jacqueline Mitton. Stern, a Plutophile to the core, is one of the most energetic, talented, and savvy planetary astronomers in the business today. Mitton, trained as an astronomer, is an experienced writer and editor of scientific books for nonscientists. Together they have created an immensely informative book . . . Written in an engaging and informal style, Pluto and Charon takes the reader step by step from the discovery of the ninth planet in 1930 to the current understanding of Pluto and its moon, Charon." – Sky & Telescope

"More than a book summarizing what we know about [the] planet, [Pluto and Charon is] about how far and how fast astronomical technology has come since 1965 . . . Stern and Mitton use the narrative of Pluto research to explain in comfortable, everyday language how such work is done . . . One of the nice touches in the book is that Stern and Mitton tell us something about each astronomer. – Astronomy

"Pluto and Charon presents the exploration of the ninth planet–written as a vivid historical account – for anyone with an interest in science and astronomy ... the authors describe in simple language the methods researchers use to explore the universe and the way ever–improving instrumentation helps their knowledge advance." – Physics Today

"...an engaging account of how we reached our current state of knowledge." Observatory

"In this new edition, excellent writer Mitton and productive NASA scientist Stern have significantly updated their book ... highly recommended."
CHOICE

"... contains a wealth of scientific findings about Pluto, Charon, and many other Kuiper Belt objects."
Sky & Telescope

"... an engaging account of how we reached our current state of knowledge."
Observatory

"In this new edition, excellent writer Mitton and productive NASA scientist Stern have significantly updated their book...highly recommended."
CHOICE

"...contains a wealth of scientific findings about Pluto, Charon, and many other Kuiper Belt objects."
Sky & Telescope

"... this well–written, amply illustrated book serves as a useful, informative guide...will appeal to the specialist and non–specialist alike."
Applied Organometallic Chemistry

"...offers a useful and reasonably accessible guide to current knowledge of Pluto." www.satellite–evolution.com
"In this new edition, excellent writer Mitton and productive NASA scientist Stern have significantly updated their book highly recommended." ( CHOICE, May 2006)

" contains a wealth of scientific findings about Pluto, Charon, and many other Kuiper Belt objects." (Sky & Telescope, April 2006)

About the Author:

ALAN STERN, PhD, is a planetary scientist and astrophysicist with both observational and theoretical interests. Dr. Stern is an avid pilot and a principal investigator in NASA's planetary research program, and he was a finalist candidate to become a NASA space shuttle mission specialist. He is the leader of the Southwest Research Institute's Geophysical, Astrophysical, and Planetary Science group, located in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Stern has published more than 110 technical papers and 20 popular articles. His research has focused on studies of the satellites of the outer planets, Pluto, comets, the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt, and the search for evidence of solar systems around other stars. JACQUELINE MITTON, PhD, lives and works in Cambridge, England. She trained as an astronomer at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and has for many years concentrated on bringing astronomy to the general public, mainly as a writer, and through the media in her role as Public Relations Officer for the Royal Astronomical Society. She is a former editor of the Journal of the British Astronomical Association and the author, coauthor, or contributing editor of 12 previous books, including The Penguin Dictionary of Astronomy, Gems of Hubble, and The Great Comet Crash.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley-VCH
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 3527405569
• ISBN 13: 9783527405565
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 257