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 lead 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 discoveryto 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 vividportrayal of the way in which modern science is conducted Contains at least 20 beautiful color photos which help guide the reader through the story INDICE: A larger solar system.- Eleven planets.- The writing desk planet.-'I've found your Planet X'.- The kid planet.- A strange and wonderful week.- Fortunate circumstances.- Nix and Hydra.- The unauthorized planet.- Uranus: problem solved?.- Mysterious forces.- The hunt for the Death Star.- The secret planet.- Vulcanoids and Earth-grazers.- The Kuiper connection.- Comet puzzles.-Smiley.- Family portraits.- The migrating planet.- Icy treasure troves.- The big five.- The tenth planet.- The Spanish invasion.- Pas de deux.- Model from Nice.- Planet under siege.- Planetary elections.- The continuing story.- A thousand planets.- New Horizons.
- ISBN: 978-0-387-77804-4
- Editorial: Springer
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Páginas: 315
- Fecha Publicación: 01/11/2008
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés