The Hunt for Planet X: New Worlds and the Fate of Pluto 2009th Edition, Kindle Edition

Govert Schilling is one of the best authors (in my opinion) on astronomy. He's written a ton of books but unfortunately only a few are in English. This is one of them. He goes through the background behind some of the most interesting astronomical stories; Chiron, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto, Charon, Nix, Hydra, Plutoids/TNOs (although for a really great book on Pluto and other way out there dwarf planets, I recommend How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming). Schilling even goes through some crazier theories (like the Zetas) that stemmed from far more rational ones (the Nemesis theory).I couldn't put the book down. I checked it out from the library and now I've bought it on Amazon because I honestly want to be able to read parts of it when I'm in the mood for a good astronomy story. It's just an awesome book.

Dutch author Govert Schilling is an internationally acclaimed astronomy writer who has published more than forty books and written for many publications, including New Scientist and Science; he even has an asteroid - 10986 - named after him. In The Hunt for Planet X, he answers just about every question you might have about our solar system, from why Pluto was demoted from being a planet, to who discovered which planet, when, and how.In a volume divided into thirty chapters, Schilling covers it all, from the days when planets, moons, and other galactic objects were first discovered - giving a brief history lesson on each person and how they discovered said object - up to the present with why Pluto isn't a planet any more, to what's being discovered right now, and what the future holds for astronomy. The book is filled with glossy photos of the important people in astronomy, as well as the planets, asteroids, and whatever else Schilling is talking about. There's even a helpful index and extensive chronology in the back of the book, starting with Galileo, taking readers on a quick journey through time up to 2007.The Hunt For Planet X is a great resource for any (scientifically minded or not) person looking for answers about our solar system, what exactly people are looking for up there in the great blackness of space, and how they're finding it. It's an invaluable reference for those wanting either quick answers or long discussions on the mysteries of space.Originally written on March 27th 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.For over 500 book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to [...]

This book is an excellent, highly readable account of the discovery of trans-Saturnian Planets of our Solar System, especially Pluto and the Planet X. X stands for ten as well as unknown. When Pluto was discovered in 1930, it was not the tenth planet but was the mysterious unknown planet that was theorized to exist based on the orbital fluctuations of Uranus (Neptune was discovered earlier but even after taking into account its effects, Uranus had orbital fluctuations suggesting the existence of one or more planets beyond). Later observations showed that Pluto was not alone but was a member of a group of bodies collectively named Kuiper Belt. In 2006, Pluto was demoted as a regular Planet, in the face of opposition from many astronomers. You should read the book to know more about all the debate and the factors that weighed with the astronomers.The science and the human drama (the fierce competition, the national pride, the hunger for credit etc.) have been nicely brought out by Govert and the illustrations and photographs add a lot of value to the book.I have no hesitation in recommending this book strongly to all lovers of science in general and astronomy in particular.Govert Schilling is an internationally acclaimed freelance writer on astronomy from Netherlands.The reviewer is a physicist and a metallurgist, with interests in astronomy and other sciences. He is an author and editor besides being an avid reader and reviewer of books.

well written...

In the middle of all the irrational nonesense that has been written about how a Planet X or Nibiru was supposed to appear on December 21 and cause great destruction, it is a real pleasure to see a scientifically sound book about the real search for a Planet X by astronomers that led to the seredipedous discovery of the dwarf planet Pluto.

This is a very good book on discoveries and theories relating to the outer plantets and Kuiper belt objects written by an expert who seems to know many of the people involved personally. The biographical details as well as the science are told in a very interesting and readable style. There is a lot here missing in previous accounts. Sadly the book was published in 2009 - at the rate of progress in this field a lot must have happened since then (e.g. New Horizons in 2015). An oddity of the Kindle version is that the initial paragraph of each chapter is repeated twice, together with the authors details.

One of the best astronomy books I've read!Read like novel, hooked from the first chapter, going to history of science and scientists in search for the Planet X, and we still are!Written before New Horizons flyby, it remains a great book.I'd like to ask the author, how about a new edition with some updates?Anyways it's a great book, definitely in my collection.