Reading post 2

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming was a very interesting read about the drama and happenstance surrounding the removal of Pluto as a planet. It was fascinating to me because I didn't realize all the politics surrounding this decision. Though now, seeing as this decision was made by a large committee, it was naive of me not to assume that politics were involved.

In short, Mike Brown was on a mission to discover the tenth planet. His discovery of Santa, which had initially looked like it could satisfy his mission, was almost stolen from him by Spanish scientists. He discovered several new planetoids that resembled Pluto, and subsequently decided that the inclusion of Pluto as a planet had been misinformed and based on ignorance. The catch is that Mike Brown is the exact individual that would stand to gain from retaining Pluto's planetary status. After many discussions and arguments between astronomers, the resolution was made that declared only 8 planets.

One point that stood out to me was the emphatic Yes! that Brown dispersed throughout the novel. It was a symbol that connected his hope in finding another planet with his journey in finding love and creating a family. This is kind of random but the Yes! motif reminded me of the story of how John Lennon met Yoko Ono. Apparently, he was attending an art exhibit of hers. One of her pieces was composed of climbing a ladder and looking through a spyglass, which in tiny little letters just said "yes". Three simple letters that meant a lot to Lennon, and a lot to Mike Brown as well.

Another point that intrigued me about the novel was the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) initial secret proposal to include 12 objects, including Pluto's moon Charon, in their definition of a planet. It was a decision that was made based on politics and culture, and clearly not on scientific validity. It reminds me of the moment in Atlas Shrugged, when the State Scientific Institute condemned Rearden Metal with flimsy evidence, because it would serve a social purpose. I believe it is not the purpose of scientific institutions such as this to be concerned with social purpose, only truth. I'm glad Brown did not let the IAU get away with it. 

Comments

  1. Katie FrancelFebruary 3, 2019 at 9:21 PM

    I like that you mentioned the "Yes!" that Brown said throughout the book. It was a great symbol that was dispersed throughout and it made the book much more personal and easy to connect with! And I agree with you, the book was fascinating because I was not aware of the politics surrounding Pluto until I read this book!
    Awesome summary!
    -KT

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  2. AnonymousFebruary 3, 2019 at 10:51 PM

    What a cool connection to John Lennon! I'm so glad you enjoyed the story.
    -Kaela

    ReplyDelete
  3. Matty's BlogFebruary 4, 2019 at 9:28 AM

    Interesting how politics play a role in science. I didn't know that the IAU was deciding to include 12 plants at one point!

    ReplyDelete
  4. C's Calm Cool and Collected BlogFebruary 4, 2019 at 11:15 AM

    I had no idea that politics played a role in this either! Very good insight on the story! Seemed like it was fascinating.

    -Christian

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kane AcostaFebruary 4, 2019 at 11:58 AM

    Your comparison of between John Lenon and Mike Brown was very intresting. I liked it alot as I also read this book. Finding his discovery of interest whilst at the same time dealing with the troubles and wonder of life. Also when you said Santa, I was confused until I relaized that it was a comparison to the planet Eris.

    ReplyDelete

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