Out of the Darkness: Planet Pluto

"NINTH PLANET DISCOVERED ON EDGE OF SOLAR FIRST FOUND IN 84 YEARS"--The New York TimesMarch 14, 1930Behind this headline is one of the most thrilling adventures of scientific discovery in the 20th century. It is a story that actually begins with the development of telescopes powerful enough to reveal first Uranus, then Neptune, and finally Pluto, the outermost planets of our solar system, which cannot be seen with the naked eye. Thanks to the clues provided by the identification of Uranus and Neptune, and the lucky chance that saw young, self-taught astronomer Clyde Tombaugh working with a new telescope at the Lowell Observatory -one of the few centers where an active planet-seeking program was brewing carried on- Pluto was discovered on February 18th, 1930.Sweet within the larger context of the history and evolution of astronomy, OUT OF THE DARKNESS recaptures all of the tension and excitement of the search for and discovery of Pluto, and explores the controversy about the true nature of this planet, which is still going on today.