Pluto finds its place

Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co.

A stylized postcard from Seattle's Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. celebrates Pluto and its moons. The company is planning a tongue-in-cheek teach-in and rally at 1 p.m. PT Saturday to protest Pluto's plight.

It's sad to see how many people are willing to pick on a dwarf planet when it's down. Take Pluto, for instance: A couple of years ago, when I visited a "solar system walk" that was erected near my hometown in Iowa, there was a big black X drawn across Pluto's name - as if it didn't belong in the lineup because of its controversial reclassification in 2006.
That was one of the reasons why I wrote "The Case for Pluto." I felt as if somebody had to stand up for the little guy. (You can read all about my Iowa encounter here.)
I'm feeling a lot better these days: Over the past week, I've been in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois to talk with Midwesterners about the book, and I've been heartened by the experience. Although the faded X can still be seen on the solar system monument in Mount Vernon, it looks as if Pluto and its little pals are finding ...