The Hunt for Planet X

by Schilling, Govert

• ISBN13: 9780387778044
• ISBN10: 0387778047
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-02-28
• Publisher: Copernicus Books

Summary

Ever since the serendipitous discovery of planet Uranus in 1871, astronomers have been hunting for new worlds in the outer regions of our solar system. This exciting and ongoing quest culminated recently in the discovery of hundreds of ice dwarfs in the Kuiper belt, robbed Pluto from its 'planet' status, and led to a better understanding of the origin of the solar system.This timely book reads like a scientific 'who done it', going from the heights of discovery to the depths of disappointment in the hunt for 'Planet X'. Based on many personal interviews with astronomers, the well-known science writer Govert Schilling introduces the heroes in the race to be the first in finding another world, bigger than Pluto.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
A Larger Solar System	p. 1
Pea	p. 3
Conjunction	p. 4
Fuzzy Star	p. 7
Eleven Planets	p. 11
Quest	p. 13
Point of Light	p. 14
Fragments	p. 16
The Writing Desk Planet	p. 19
Orbital Deviations	p. 21
Mathematical Genius	p. 21
Not on the Map	p. 23
Loss of Face	p. 25
Search	p. 27
'I've Found Your Planet X'	p. 29
Another Planet?	p. 30
Lowell's Hunt	p. 32
New Searches for Planet X	p. 33
Tombaugh's Dedication	p. 36
The Kid Planet	p. 39
The Pluto Breakfast	p. 41
Cartoon Figure	p. 43
Scrapbooks	p. 45
A Strange and Wonderful Week	p. 47
Missed Opportunity	p. 48
Omen	p. 50
Charon	p. 53
Fortunate Circumstances	p. 55
Atmosphere	p. 56
Mr Pluto	p. 58
Pure Luck	p. 59
Odd Man Out	p. 61
Nix and Hydra	p. 65
Hubble Photos	p. 66
Double Discovery	p. 68
Confirmation	p. 69
Names	p. 71
Quibbling	p. 72
The Unauthorized Planet	p. 75
Painstaking Work	p. 76
Rhadamanthus	p. 79
Centaurs	p. 80
Forbidden Zone	p. 81
Uranus: Problem Solved?	p. 85
Speculation	p. 86
Humphrey	p. 87
Exit Planet X	p. 88
A Pinch of Salt	p. 90
Mysterious Forces	p. 93
Explorers	p. 94
Precision Measurements	p. 96
The Pioneer Anomaly	p. 97
Planets Aplenty	p. 98
The Hunt for the Death Star	p. 101
Dinosaurs	p. 102
Nemesis	p. 104
Questions	p. 106
A Remote Planet X	p. 107
The Secret Planet	p. 111
A Ready Pen	p. 112
Conspiracy	p. 113
Zetas	p. 114
Mayas	p. 116
Vulcanoids and Earth-Grazers	p. 119
Vulcan	p. 120
Astronomy by Fighter Jet	p. 121
Earth-Grazers	p. 123
Apophis	p. 124
Danger of Impact	p. 125
The Kuiper Connection	p. 127
Beyond Neptune	p. 129
The Kuiper Belt	p. 130
Enormous Legacy	p. 132
Comet Puzzles	p. 135
The Oort Cloud	p. 137
Roving Comets	p. 138
Wriggling Dots	p. 140
Simulations	p. 141
Smiley	p. 145
Uncertainties	p. 146
White Mountain	p. 149
Lucky Strike	p. 151
Family Portraits	p. 155
Plutinos	p. 156
Speed Blinking	p. 158
Mini-Feud	p. 161
The Migrating Planet	p. 165
Odyssey	p. 166
Migration	p. 169
Resonances	p. 171
Icy Treasure Troves	p. 175
Pitfalls	p. 177
Pholus	p. 179
Variety	p. 181
The Big Five	p. 183
Large Field of View	p. 185
Quaoar	p. 187
Quest	p. 189
Sedna	p. 192
The Tenth Planet	p. 195
Xena	p. 197
Tenth Planet	p. 199
Lila	p. 201
The Spanish Invasion	p. 205
Google	p. 208
Typing Error	p. 210
IP Addresses	p. 212
Secrecy	p. 213
Pas de deux	p. 217
Big Whack	p. 219
Icy Duos	p. 221
Confirmation	p. 222
Model from Nice	p. 225
Strange Pair	p. 226
Migration and Resonance	p. 228
Bombardment	p. 231
Planet Under Siege	p. 235
Demotion	p. 236
Pluto Soap Opera	p. 238
Wanted: A Definition	p. 241
Planetary Elections	p. 245
Dwarf Planets	p. 247
Rebellion	p. 249
Foul Play	p. 250
The Continuing Story	p. 255
Eris and Dysnomia	p. 256
Buffy	p. 258
A Hundred Thousand Ice Dwarfs	p. 260
A Thousand Planets	p. 265
Indirect Clues	p. 266
Origins	p. 269
Mysteries	p. 271
New Horizons	p. 275
Pluto Fast Flyby	p. 276
A Fresh Start	p. 278
Souvenirs from Earth	p. 279
Table: Details of a Number of Large Ice Dwarfs	p. 283
Chronology	p. 285
Glossary of Terms	p. 291
Bibliography	p. 295
Index	p. 297
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.