Never again will Pluto be the ninth planet, or the littlest planet, or the most distant planet. But don't sell Pluto short: It has an atmosphere and weather, geology and possibly liquid water, and as many moons as Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars put together. It's time to stick up for the little guys of the solar system!

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Case for Pluto also fills you in on Planet X and the search for alien worlds.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor and the creator of Cosmic Log.

ABOUT PLANETS

Browse through our resource center to learn more about dwarf planets and other topics.

BUY THE BOOK

The Case for Pluto is available in bookstores and online. Want a signed copy? E-mail Alan.

Ordering guide at Wiley & Sons

EVENTS AND APPEARANCES

Watch Alan Boyle's MSNBC video chat about Pluto and the search for planets.

Highlights from the Pluto tour

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?

Find out what experts and reviewers are saying about The Case for Pluto - and find out what Alan Boyle is up to on Twitter and Facebook.