Recommended book: The Hunt for Planet X

I don't like writing reviews of things so much as recommending them to people :). So I'm not going to review this book per se, but I would like to tell you why I enjoyed it so much and why I would recommend it those interested. I would also like to apologize for taking so long to post this, as I did finish the book awhile ago.

The Hunt for Planet X, by Govert Schilling, is published by Springer. I don't get as much time to read as I'd like to, so when I read a book I like it to be worth my while. The Hunt for Planet X did not disappoint. First off, it has nothing to do with the 2012 hoax or Nibiru, and indeed the author only mentions these notions briefly. The book is about the history of the hunt for planets in our solar system, with the unknown whether Neptune or a planet beyond Pluto being X. This is a topic deeply interesting to me, and I can't think of a better starting point than this book.

As a reviewer on the dust jacket says, "This exciting tale of the centuries-old search for new planets in the solar system reads like a thriller." I agree, and I liked how each chapter is told from the perspective of a narrator closely following one of the pivotal explorers in the hunt for new planets. So we start with Sir William Herschel, and the discovery of Uranus. We move on to the asteroids, and the discovery of Ceres by Giuseppe Piazzi. I did not know Ceres, Juno, Vesta, and Pallas were all considered planets for quite some time, really until the discovery of Neptune! Also, the discovered moons of Jupiter and Saturn were considered planets as well during different time periods. Controversy surrounding the number of planets is certainly not unique to our time! There's even a chapter about Vulcan (not the Star Trek one...).

From there, considerable space (pun intended) is given to the tales of finding Pluto and Charon. You really get the feeling of being alongside Clyde Tombaugh and James Christy while reading this book. But where I really started to get hooked was the discussions of finding the first Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO's). I learned a lot about these fascinating worlds, including some I was not familiar with (1996 TL66 anyone?). There wasn't really a dull chapter. The last part of the book detailed in great and engrossing detail the recent discoveries by Mike Brown and others, and the unseating of Pluto. The last chapter catches us up with the New Horizons mission to Pluto. With as many rapid discoveries as there are in this field, it's hard to stay current (we seem to find out more and more about Haumea, for example, each week), but I now have a good head start.

As a side note, I thought the author did a fair job of portraying the events surrounding the Pluto controversy, without taking a real side in it. I have my own opinion (always subject to change), but I sometimes think the "Is a Pluto a Planet" issue takes attention away from the other objects Out There. Suffice it to say that there are still heated passions from participants in the debate.

I've read a few astronomy books in my day (including Alan Stern's book on Pluto), but few as entertaining and informative as The Hunt for Planet X. Thank you, Mr. Schilling, for a fascinating book! Extremely recommended.

(Hopefully I will have time soon to read The Pluto Files by Neil DeGrasse Tyson)

Florida Mountains

Many (most?) of the amateur astronomers I know have at least a slight interest in meteorology and cloudwatching. It's the astronomical version of Stockholm Syndrome. I'm enjoying using my new BlackBerry to capture some images of the great cloudscapes we see here in Florida. I took this one late this afternoon, but couldn't get it to upload from the Berry (like the Verizon guy says, "It's the network."), so here you go. They reminded me of mountains, looking out of place in this flatland. They're probably just as big! Cumulus clouds always look prettier to me contrasted with a blue sky. Thanks for looking!

RevAaron's Laws

I finally got some scope time last night (it's been a while). Despite some clouds drifting through and the 1st Quarter moon, it was fun. A must-see this time of the year is the great globular Omega Centauri. It's bright! I've seen it with the naked eye from my dark sky site in the Everglades, but it is very visible even under mediocre conditions. Even with the moon and city light pollution, I managed to spot it last night with the 30mm finder on my Short Tube 80 refractor. It's one of those objects that looks good in any aperture. If you are ever down south, give it a look!

While waiting for clouds to pass, I was compelled to formulate a couple of laws based on my experiences as an amateur astronomer. Here you go :)

RevAaron's 1st Law:

If you are outside with a telescope, and the sky is 30% covered with clouds, any objects you are hoping to see will be in that 30% of the sky.

RevAaron's 2nd Law:

Any time spent under the stars (even with mosquitoes) is better than no time under the stars.

Agreed?