The Pluto Files

Locations
Call Number: DVD 523.49 Pl
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 1st Floor 1-week checkout	DVD 523.49 Pl	1-week checkout	On Shelf

Extra features: The formation of the solar system explained over dinner, 2 different ways of looking at the universe, Neil and Pluto the pup break down the debate, Pluto and partisan politics, Teaching Pluto.
Based on the book by Neil de Grasse Tyson.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, host.
Join Hayden Planetarium's director Neil deGrasse Tyson as he follows the story of Pluto's discovery and the science that surrounds this former planet, including the possibility of finding more Pluto-like planets in the mysterious Kuiper belt. From the scientists trying to classify Pluto to die-hard 'Pluto-philes, ' Tyson meets a fascinating cast of characters with just one thing in common: strong opinions about Pluto.
DVD, region 1, widescreen; stereo., NTSC.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

School Library Journal Review

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Delightful! submitted by emjane on August 10, 2012, 11:51am Throughout this episode, Tyson travels across the country on a Pluto-related mission, focusing on the question of whether Pluto is a planet. He talks with scientists who support Pluto's planethood and those who do not; he visits the hometown of the scientist who discovered Pluto and the town where the scientist's family now lives; he even visits Disney World to play with Pluto the dog.

Though the majority of the program is about science, it doesn't deal with it in a dry way. Tyson is hilarious! But the jokes didn't stop me from learning things (like, did you know that before the planet was named, Americans associated the name Pluto with a laxative? Or, that if the sun was represented by a balloon with an 8-foot diameter, the relative-size of Pluto could be represented by a ball bearing from a roller skate?)

Maybe Too Funny submitted by Meginator on July 1, 2018, 9:52pm This documentary follows Neil deGrasse Tyson as he talks to scientists and citizens about Pluto’s apparent demotion from a fully fledged planet to a dwarf planet or Kuiper Belt Object (depending on who you ask). The film has a lighthearted tone, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, and it’s enjoyable, but Tyson doesn't meaningfully engage the issues in a way that gets at the heart of the Pluto debate. The science that does appear is explained well for a general audience, but the film is ultimately a bit too silly to be truly convincing.