image: A fascinating look at the astronomical debates on discovering new planets. view more
Credit: Springer
The Hunt for Planet X: New Worlds and the Fate of Pluto, a new book by Govert Schilling, is an adventure story of the centuries-old search for new planets in the solar system that reads like a thriller with plenty of human drama. Schilling chronicles 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.
The book touches on over 300 years of debates, debacles, and discoveries and offers readers insight into the minds and motives of planetary astronomers and their findings on the outer-most regions of the solar system.
"The search for new worlds, from full-fledged planets to icy Kuiper Belt objects, sheds new light on the evolution of our planetary system," says Schilling. "But this search has also led to heated arguments about discovery priority, the nomenclature of solar system bodies, the status of Pluto and the very definition of the word 'planet'."
Dutch science journalist Govert Schilling writes about astronomy and space exploration for newspapers and magazines including de Volkskrant, Science and New Scientist and is the author of numerous books. He was awarded the 2002 Eureka! Prize for his contribution to popularizing science and technology.
"The Hunt for Planet X is a fascinating tale by one of the world's premier astronomy writers," wrote Stephen Maran, author of Astronomy for Dummies and press officer for the American Astronomical Society, in an early review of the book. "Govert Schilling is not only scrupulously accurate, he writes beautifully as well."
Over 300 pages long, the book contains more than 100 photos throughout the text, many in color. The book is published by Springer, the second-largest publisher of journals in the science, technology, and medicine (STM) sector and the largest publisher of STM books. Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media, one of the world's leading suppliers of scientific and specialist literature.
Govert Schilling
The Hunt for Planet X: New Worlds and the Fate of Pluto
2009. 303 p. 129 illus., 86 in color
Hardcover $27.50, £15.00, €19.95
ISBN 978-0-387-77804-4