On August 24, 2006, a group of astronomers made a big announcement: Pluto could no longer be considered a planet. This book explains how advancements in technology have changed our understanding of the universe--and exactly how and why the number of planets in our solar system went from nine to eight

"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...

"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."-- Provided by publisher.

"Ride along with the New Horizons spacecraft as she rockets three billion miles to Pluto! Watch her take the first close-up photos of Pluto, and then journey another billion miles to mini-world Arrokoth. You'll whiz through space at more than 10 miles per second; learn how giant planet Jupiter helped the little spacecraft reach Pluto; and discover the astonishing surface feature that made the world fall in love with Pluto"-- Provided by publisher....