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“In ‘What’s the Matter with Pluto,’ Paul Halpern and Vance Lehmkuhl lay out the facts of planetary life with
humor, clarity, and a surprising amount of depth. No other issue in astronomy has engendered such passionate feelings and outright confusion from children and adults alike as the “demotion” of Pluto from planetary
status, and the abandonment of traditional mnemonics as the solar system went from nine planets to eight.
Halpern and Lehmkuhl describe the history of Pluto’s discovery, what makes it so different from the others,
and ultimately its expulsion from ‘The Planet Club,’ with a light tone, but enough rigor that even the most
ardent Plutonian defender would be hard-pressed to argue. .”
—Dave Goldberg, Astrophysicist and Science Writer: “The Universe in the Rearview Mirror,” “A User’s
Guide to the Universe”
About the Author
Paul Halpern is a professor of physics at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. He is the author
of more than a dozen highly acclaimed popular science books and is the distinguished recipient of multiple awards related to his work, in addition to having appeared on numerous television and radio programs,
including Future Quest and The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special. His previous children’s book, Faraway
Worlds, was named one of the Children’s Choices for 2005 by the International Reading Association. Learn
more about him on his personal website.
About the Illustrator
Vance Lehmkuhl is a cartoonist, writer and musician. He is the author of The Joy of Soy, a collection of cartoons about vegetarianism. His vegan newspaper column, V For Veg, appears biweekly in the Philadelphia
Daily News. From 1990 to 2003, he wrote and drew Philadelphia City Paper’s weekly political cartoon,
“How-to Harry.” Between 1998 to 2001, he contributed to the New York Times Syndicate feature Face Value.
Learn more about him on The Vance Page.
ICY SCIENCE | WINTER 2013- 2014