Nova

Pluto Files

Since its discovery in 1930, Pluto has held a warm place in the public imagination. So, when the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium stopped calling Pluto a planet, director Neil deGrasse Tyson found himself at the center of a firestorm -- a firestorm led by angry, Pluto-loving elementary school students. But what is it about this cold, distant rock that captures so many hearts? NOVA joins Tyson as he follows the story of its discovery and the science that surrounds this former planet, including the possibility of finding more Pluto-like planets in the mysterious Kuiper belt -- an area of icy rocks at the edge of the solar system. 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. Based on Tyson's book of the same name, this program is a look at the solar system's best-loved non-planet.