How Pluto Lost Its Status as a Planet (And Why It Had It Coming)

The demotion of Pluto shocked the public and led to angry letters and even protests in some cities. But the story of how Pluto became a dwarf started back in the year 1800 when a Sicilian astronomer made a dramatic cosmic discovery. Astronomer and opular lecturer Andrew Fraknoi will fill us in on the behind-the-scenes history of Pluto and what really led to it being kicked out of the planet club. He will also describe the new dwarf planets Eris, Makemake, and Haumea whose discovery contributed to Pluto's downfall.

Andrew Fraknoi is the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College and the former Executive Director of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. He was selected as the 2007 California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Endowment and recently won the national Gemant Prize for his work bringing the sciences into popular culture. You may have heard one of his regular appearances on Bay Area radio; he is a frequent guest on the Forum program on KQED and the Gil Gross Program on KGO. Asteroid 4859 has been named Asteroid Fraknoi to recognize his contributions to the public understanding of science (but he wants to reassure everyone that it is a very boring asteroid, and not one that could hit the Earth.)

THE SECRET OF THE NINTH PLANET
April 24 - May, 2009
Organized by the Graduate Program in Curatorial Practice at
California College of the Arts
1111 Eighth Street
San Francisco CA 94107
www.thesecretoftheninthplanet.com