How I Killed Pluto (Post 2)

Disclosure: I’m not an astrologist. I can vaguely understand the trajectories of orbits and chemical components of planets from the little information I have gathered through sci-fi films and documentaries, but that’s the extent of my knowledge. When I first picked this book, it was simply because I vaguely recalled reading about Pluto being stripped of its status as a planet years ago. At the time, I did not really concern myself with the potential difficulties of understanding the jargon that astrologists like to use. In retrospect, there really was nothing to be worried about anyways because the book read more like a personal narrative than anything else. However, that is not to say I didn’t learn any technicalities when it comes to the discovery of new objects in space. In fact, I can now accurately describe to you the proper techniques to remember when operating different telescopes and also the correct methodology that one must follow in order to name a new planet. 

The title was a little misleading for me as I thought the book would primarily chronicle the details of how his personal discoveries led to the demise of Pluto. While that part is true, I believe that the book was more about Mike Brown’s character development over the years (and it just so happened that Pluto was “killed” in the process). For example, we often forget that scientists are humans also, albeit data-centric human beings (i.e. the author ranting about doctors not knowing the distribution of average due dates prior to the birth of his daughter). When you read about his relationships with other people in the book, especially with his daughter, you remember that the author’s life is not just centered around his work, but also around his colleagues, friends, and family. As much as this book is about planets and space, it is also about Mike Brown’s life story. So, while I thoroughly enjoyed the scientific explanations, it was the author’s mixed use of scientific fact with personal narration and the human elements that made the book so entertaining.

On a final note, I think this book has helped to remind me of several things, none of which are related to astrology. First, it’s easy to give up on lifelong goals when we hit obstacles. I know this sounds cheesy but it’s true. Even for someone so passionate about their job and field of study, the author almost gave up on his career after discovering that Quaoar might be the furthest he’ll ever get beyond Pluto. In the end, his determination to keep finding new planets actually led to some of the biggest discoveries in the 21st century. The second thing his story reminded me of is how easy it is to lose sight of the things that are most important in life. While occupied with work, I felt like meeting his wife and the birth of his daughter were two major turning points in his life. While his work was still important, he had found new meanings in life through his new family. I remember a touching moment in the book when the author said that he had forgotten most work-related stuff and instead spent most of his time charting data and taking down notes about his newborn daughter to make sure she was healthy. While we are smaller in size than stars and planets, there a lot things that happen in life that are bigger and more important than the infinite universe.