The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet

The New York Times bestselling author chronicles America’s love affair with Pluto—man’s best (celestial) friend.

In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted to demote Pluto from planethood. Yet far from the sun, Pluto still has devoted fans, and the decision sparked widespread debate and cultural backlash. Disney’s beloved character and NASA’s framing of Pluto as an American discovery only deepened its status as a patriotic icon of the cosmos.

Neil deGrasse Tyson—who was involved in early exhibits that contributed to Pluto’s reclassification—revisits the controversy with humor and insight, drawing on decades of public reaction, including memorable hate mail from young Pluto supporters.

In his signature witty style, Tyson explores the history of the planet that became a dwarf, and what its reclassification reveals about science, culture, and our emotional attachment to the universe.