Part 1, Chapter 2 Summary and Analysis

Radio telescopes used by astronomers today are so sensitive that if someone were to light a match on the moon, scientists on Earth could see the flare. According to Carl Sagan, the total energy collected by all the radio telescopes since 1951 is less than that generated by a single snowflake striking the ground. Despite this amazing accuracy, until 1978 no one noticed that Pluto has a moon. Actually, Pluto's moon is the biggest moon in the Solar System relative to the size of its respective planet. This fact proved to be quite a blow to Pluto's status as the ninth planet.

One reason it took so long to find Pluto's moon is that astronomers, like the rest of us, find what they are looking for. They don't scan the skies at random. They point their telescopes to the far reaches...