Ocean State Libraries

Q: When is a planet not a planet?
Scientists have argued for years over the answer to this question. And central to their debate has been Pluto, the tiny orb circling the Sun at the outermost reaches of our solar system. Then on August 24, 2006, a group of astronomers made a big announcement: Pluto could no longer be considered a planet.
    
This fascinating and breathtaking audiobook explains in simple terms how advancements...

Presents information on Pluto, the farthest known planet, and its moon, Charon. Includes a glossary and "Pluto Quick Facts."

Discusses the smallest, most distant, and most mysterious planet in our solar system, its discovery, and its peculiar orbit.

"People, children especially, have been baffled, bewildered, and even outraged by the fact that Pluto is no longer called a planet. Through whimsical artwork and an entertaining dialog format, this book explains why this is so. Providing a history of the small, icy world from its discovery and naming to its recent reclassification, this book presents a fascinating look at how scientists organize and class our solar system as they gain new insights...

In this creative nonfiction work, just after learning that Earth's scientists no longer consider him a planet, an unhappy Pluto takes a visitor from Earth on a tour of the solar system, sharing facts along the way.

"Follow a spacecraft the size of a piano, named New Horizons, on the first ever spacecraft mission to Pluto, the space entity formerly known as a planet, in the latest addition to the epic and authoritative Scientists in the Field series."--

"When Venetia Burney's grandfather reads aloud from the newspaper about a new discovery--a "ninth major planet" that has yet to be named--her eleven-year-old mind starts whirring. She is studying the planets in school and loves Roman mythology. "It might be called Pluto," she says, thinking of the dark underworld. Grandfather loves the idea and contacts his friend at London's Royal Astronomical Society, who writes to scientists at the Lowell Observatory...

"For many years, it was accepted as fact that our solar system had nine planets. However, one important meeting of astronomers in 2006 reduced that number to eight. They decided that Pluto was not a planet, a declaration that outraged some people. Readers will learn more about distant Pluto, such as how it was accidentally discovered. Brilliant photographs accompany the fascinating facts"--Provided by publisher.

Describes Pluto, which was officially designated a dwarf planet in 2006.