Pluto and Charon: Ice Worlds on the Ragged Edge of the Solar System

Rave reviews for Pluto and Charon: Ice Worlds on the Ragged Edge of the Solar System
The story of the quest to understand Pluto and the resulting transformation of our concept of the diminutive planet from that of solar-system misfit to king of the Kuiper Belt is told in this book by Alan Stern and Jacqueline Mitton. Stern, a Plutophile to the core, is one of the most energetic, talented, and savvy planetary astronomers in the business today. Mitton, trained as an astronomer, is an experienced writer and editor of scientific books for nonscientists. Together they have created an immensely informative book . . . Written in an engaging and informal style, Pluto and Charon takes the reader step by step from the discovery of the ninth planet in 1930 to the current understanding of Pluto and its moon, Charon.-Sky & Telescope
More than a book summarizing what we know about [the] planet, [Pluto and Charon is] about how far and how fast astronomical technology has come since 1965 . . . Stern and Mitton use the narrative of Pluto research to explain in comfortable, everyday language how such work is done . . . One of the nice touches in the book is that Stern and Mitton tell us something about each astronomer.-Astronomy
Pluto and Charon presents the exploration of the ninth planet-written as a vivid historical account-for anyone with an interest in science and astronomy . . . the authors describe in simple language the methods researchers use to explore the universe and the way ever-improving instrumentation helps their knowledge advance.-Physics Today

ALAN STERN, PhD, is a planetary scientist and astrophysicist with both observational and theoretical interests. Dr. Stern is an avid pilot and a principal investigator in NASA's planetary research program, and he was a finalist candidate to become a NASA space shuttle mission specialist. He is the leader of the Southwest Research Institute's Geophysical, Astrophysical, and Planetary Science group, located in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Stern has published more than 110 technical papers and 20 popular articles. His research has focused on studies of the satellites of the outer planets, Pluto, comets, the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt, and the search for evidence of solar systems around other stars.
JACQUELINE MITTON, PhD, lives and works in Cambridge, England. She trained as an astronomer at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and has for many years concentrated on bringing astronomy to the general public, mainly as a writer, and through the media in her role as Public Relations Officer for the Royal Astronomical Society. She is a former editor of the Journal of the British Astronomical Association and the author, coauthor, or contributing editor of 12 previous books, including The Penguin Dictionary of Astronomy, Gems of Hubble, and The Great Comet Crash.