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In lesser hands, "The Pluto Files" could have veered too far in the direction of pop culture, or it could have become overly complex in its science. But for this episode of PBS's "NOVA" (8 tonight, WQED), host Neil deGrasse Tyson and producer/director/scriptwriter Terri Randall strike an ideal balance.
This hour-long installment, based on Dr. Tyson's 2009 book of the same name, is ideal for general audiences and especially for school kids.
- When: 8 tonight, WQED.
- Host: Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Structured as a travelogue, the program follows Dr. Tyson, director of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium, as he looks into the firestorm of controversy he ignited after de-emphasizing Pluto's identity as a planet in a museum display (New York Times headline: "Pluto Not a Planet? Only in New York").
His travels take him to Harvard to encourage debate among scientists about Pluto's various properties that suggest it should or should not be defined as a planet. Dr. Tyson recounts the planet's discovery by former farmboy Clyde Tombaugh and travels to Mr. Tombaugh's hometown and later meets his 97-year-old widow.
Dr. Tyson visits Mickey Mouses' dog, also named Pluto, at The Magic Kingdom, a key factor in why school children reacted so negatively to new science that suggests Pluto is not in the same league as Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Earth.
The program also looks at the serious scientific research surrounding Pluto, including what to anticipate from a NASA probe expected to reach Pluto in 2015 and the 2006 vote by the International Astronomical Union that redefined a planet, which resulted in reclassifying Pluto as a dwarf planet.
Elements of "The Pluto Files" are a bit cheesy and pretty obviously staged -- when Dr. Tyson visits a barbershop in Mr. Tombaugh's hometown, two patrons read Gun Digest and the barber asks Dr. Tyson what he thinks of Pluto while poised over him with a straight razor in preparation for a shave -- but it seems like such attempts at humor are designed in an effort to keep kids' attention.
It also fits with what appears to be the filmmakers' goal of concocting just the right mix of entertainment and serious science.
That's Fascinating, where Mark Roth spotlights the odd and the interesting in everyday life, is featured exclusively in the Opinion section on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
