Pluto in fiction

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Cover of Wonder Stories Quarterly, Spring 1931, featuring Stanton A. Coblentz's Into Plutonian Depths Wonder stories quarterly 1931spr.jpg
Cover of Wonder Stories Quarterly , Spring 1931, featuring Stanton A. Coblentz's Into Plutonian Depths

Pluto has appeared in fiction as a setting since shortly after its 1930 discovery, albeit infrequently. It was initially comparatively popular as it was newly discovered and thought to be the outermost object of the Solar System and made more fictional appearances than either Uranus or Neptune, though still far fewer than other planets. Alien life, sometimes intelligent life and occasionally an entire ecosphere, is a common motif in fictional depictions of Pluto. Human settlement appears only sporadically, but it is often either the starting or finishing point for a tour of the Solar System. It has variously been depicted as an originally extrasolar planet, the remnants of a destroyed planet, or entirely artificial. Its moon Charon has also appeared in a handful of works.

Contents

Pluto

Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 and has made comparatively sporadic appearances in fiction since then; [1] [2] [3] in the catalogue of early science fiction works compiled by E. F. Bleiler and Richard Bleiler in the 1998 reference work Science-Fiction: The Gernsback Years , Pluto only appears in 21 (out of 1,835) works, [4] compared to 194 for Mars and 131 for Venus. [5] Richard L. McKinney describes it as "unexplored territory" in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy , [2] and science fiction scholar Gary Westfahl posits that the presumed-harsh environmental conditions of the dwarf planet made it unappealing for writers to use it as a setting. [1] McKinney nevertheless writes that it has made more appearances than one might expect, [2] and Brian Stableford comments in The Dictionary of Science Fiction Places that Pluto has made both more frequent and more varied appearances than Uranus in fiction or Neptune in fiction, [3] whose corresponding figures from The Gernsback Years are 9 and 18, respectively. [4] Stableford attributes this to Pluto (at the time) being considered the outermost planet of the Solar System, [3] as does The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction . [6] Stableford adds in Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia that Pluto's popularity during the pulp era of science fiction was increased by its then-recent discovery, [7] and Westfahl writes that its similarity to Earth in terms of size and composition contributed to a relatively common portrayal as an abode of life. [1]

Early depictions

Even before Pluto's discovery, a planet beyond the orbit of Neptune appeared in Donald W. Horner's 1912 novel Their Winged Destiny. [8] The earliest story featuring Pluto was likely the satirical 1931 novel Into Plutonian Depths by Stanton A. Coblentz, which depicts an advanced Plutonian civilization. [1] [6] [9] Another candidate for the first story is H. P. Lovecraft's 1931 short story "The Whisperer in Darkness". [10] Other early depictions of Pluto are found in the 1935 short story "The Red Peri" by Stanley G. Weinbaum, where it houses a base for space pirates; [1] [6] [8] the 1936 short story "En Route to Pluto" by Wallace West, which portrays the first expedition there; [6] [7] [11] and the 1936 novel The Cometeers in Jack Williamson's Legion of Space series. [2]

Life on Pluto

Alien life on Pluto, sometimes including intelligent life, is a common motif in fiction. [1] [2] Besides the humanoid civilization in Into Plutonian Depths, [1] it is home to more exotic mist creatures and crystal lifeforms in "En Route to Pluto" and "The Red Peri", respectively. [6] [11] [12] Aliens from elsewhere have settled Pluto in the 1950 novel First Lensman by E. E. Smith, [6] and use it as a base in Robert A. Heinlein's 1958 novel Have Space Suit—Will Travel . [7] The 1970 novel World's Fair 1992 by Robert Silverberg portrays an astrobiological expedition to Pluto, [1] [13] and a complex planetary ecosphere on Pluto is depicted in—among other stories—the 1988 novel Iceborn (a.k.a.Proserpina's Daughter) by Gregory Benford and Paul A. Carter. [2] [7] [14] Iceborn is also included in a list of works with relatively plausible depictions of Plutonian lifeforms compiled by astronomer Andrew Fraknoi, alongside others such as Robert Silverberg's 1985 short story "Sunrise on Pluto" and Stephen Baxter's 1995 short story "Gossamer". [15]

Pluto occasionally appears as the starting or finishing point of tours of the Solar System. Clicking on a planet leads to the article about its depiction in fiction. Solar system.jpg
Pluto occasionally appears as the starting or finishing point of tours of the Solar System. Clicking on a planet leads to the article about its depiction in fiction.

Portrayals of human life on Pluto are less common, though Pluto is terraformed in the 1944 short story "Circle of Confusion" by George O. Smith and colonized in the 1958 novel Man of Earth by Algis Budrys. [7] A more common approach is using it as a destination for characters to reach, as in Wilson Tucker's 1960 novel To the Tombaugh Station . [6] [7] Sometimes this is as the final stop in a tour of the Solar System, as in Donald A. Wollheim's 1959 novel The Secret of the Ninth Planet ; other times Pluto is the starting point for such a tour, as in Kim Stanley Robinson's 1985 novel The Memory of Whiteness . [6] [7] [16] It also appears as the site of a research station in Heinlein's 1959 novel Starship Troopers , [16] and an astronaut is stranded on Pluto in the 1968 short story "Wait It Out" by Larry Niven. [6]

Origin

Various origins for Pluto have been proposed in fiction. [10] In the 1934 short story "The Rape of the Solar System" by Leslie F. Stone, it is a remnant of the former fifth planet Bodia, the destruction of which also created the asteroid belt. [8] [17] In The Secret of the Ninth Planet, Pluto originally came from a different solar system, [6] [16] and in the 1973 short story "Construction Shack" by Clifford D. Simak, it is found to be artificial. [2] [6] In the 1975 short story "The Borderland of Sol" by Larry Niven, Pluto is a former moon of Neptune. [8]

Later depictions

The 1984 novel Icehenge by Kim Stanley Robinson features an artefact resembling Stonehenge bearing Sanskrit text being discovered on Pluto, and revolves around the investigation into its origin. [1] [2] [6] Pluto is the site of cryonic storage in Charles Sheffield's 1997 novel Tomorrow and Tomorrow , [7] [18] and sees a mysterious increase in temperature in Gregory Benford's 2005 novel The Sunborn . [7] [19] Pluto was reclassified from planet to dwarf planet in 2006, a subject which was later explored in the 2011 novel Young Tales of the Old Cosmos by Rhys Hughes. [6] It also makes appearances in the television series Doctor Who and various comic books. [10]

Charon

Pluto's moon Charon was discovered in 1978 and appears as a setting in the 1990 novels Take Back Plenty by Colin Greenland and The Ring of Charon by Roger MacBride Allen, as well as their respective sequels. [2] [6] [7] In the 1987 novel Charon's Ark by Rick Gauger  [ Wikidata ], it is revealed that Charon is an alien world ship carrying prehistoric lifeforms from Earth. [7] [20] In the 2003 short story "The Trellis" by Larry Niven and Brenda Cooper, Charon is attached to Pluto by massive strands of plant matter. [7] [21] In the video game series Mass Effect , Charon is a relay station for interstellar travel. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars in fiction</span> Depictions of the planet

Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. Trends in the planet's portrayal have largely been influenced by advances in planetary science. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s, when it became clear that there was no life on the Moon. The predominant genre depicting Mars at the time was utopian fiction. Around the same time, the mistaken belief that there are canals on Mars emerged and made its way into fiction, popularized by Percival Lowell's speculations of an ancient civilization having constructed them. The War of the Worlds, H. G. Wells's novel about an alien invasion of Earth by sinister Martians, was published in 1897 and went on to have a major influence on the science fiction genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venus in fiction</span> Depictions of the planet

The planet Venus has been used as a setting in fiction since before the 19th century. Its opaque cloud cover gave science fiction writers free rein to speculate on conditions at its surface—a "cosmic Rorschach test", in the words of science fiction author Stephen L. Gillett. The planet was often depicted as warmer than Earth but still habitable by humans. Depictions of Venus as a lush, verdant paradise, an oceanic planet, or fetid swampland, often inhabited by dinosaur-like beasts or other monsters, became common in early pulp science fiction, particularly between the 1930s and 1950s. Some other stories portrayed it as a desert, or invented more exotic settings. The absence of a common vision resulted in Venus not developing a coherent fictional mythology, in contrast to the image of Mars in fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moon in science fiction</span>

The Moon has appeared in fiction as a setting since at least classical antiquity. Throughout most of literary history, a significant portion of works depicting lunar voyages has been satirical in nature. From the late 1800s onwards, science fiction has successively focused largely on the themes of life on the Moon, first Moon landings, and lunar colonization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercury in fiction</span> Depictions of the planet

Fictional depictions of Mercury, the innermost planet of the Solar System, have gone through three distinct phases. Before much was known about the planet, it received scant attention. Later, when it was incorrectly believed that it was tidally locked with the Sun creating a permanent dayside and nightside, stories mainly focused on the conditions of the two sides and the narrow region of permanent twilight between. Since that misconception was dispelled in the 1960s, the planet has again received less attention from fiction writers, and stories have largely concentrated on the harsh environmental conditions that come from the planet's proximity to the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifth planet (hypothetical)</span>

In the history of astronomy, a handful of Solar System bodies other than Jupiter have been counted as the fifth planet from the Sun. Various hypotheses have also postulated the former existence of a fifth planet, now destroyed, to explain various characteristics of the inner Solar System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jupiter in fiction</span> Depictions of the planet

Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, has appeared in works of fiction across several centuries. The way the planet has been depicted has evolved as more has become known about its composition; it was initially portrayed as being entirely solid, later as having a high-pressure atmosphere with a solid surface underneath, and finally as being entirely gaseous. It was a popular setting during the pulp era of science fiction. Life on the planet has variously been depicted as identical to humans, larger versions of humans, and non-human. Non-human life on Jupiter has been portrayed as primitive in some works and more advanced than humans in others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturn in fiction</span> Depictions of the planet

Saturn has made appearances in fiction since the 1752 novel Micromégas by Voltaire. In the earliest depictions, it was portrayed as having a solid surface rather than its actual gaseous composition. In many of these works, the planet is inhabited by aliens that are usually portrayed as being more advanced than humans. In modern science fiction, the Saturnian atmosphere sometimes hosts floating settlements. The planet is occasionally visited by humans and its rings are sometimes mined for resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteroids in fiction</span>

Asteroids have appeared in fiction since at least the late 1800s, the first one—Ceres—having been discovered in 1801. They were initially only used infrequently as writers preferred the planets as settings. The once-popular Phaëton hypothesis, which states that the asteroid belt consists of the remnants of the former fifth planet that existed in an orbit between Mars and Jupiter before somehow being destroyed, has been a recurring theme with various explanations for the planet's destruction proposed. This hypothetical former planet is in science fiction often called "Bodia" in reference to Johann Elert Bode, for whom the since-discredited Titius–Bode law that predicts the planet's existence is named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neptune in fiction</span> Depictions of the planet

Neptune has appeared in fiction since shortly after its 1846 discovery, albeit infrequently. It initially made appearances indirectly—e.g. through its inhabitants—rather than as a setting. The earliest stories set on Neptune itself portrayed it as a rocky planet rather than as having its actual gaseous composition; later works rectified this error. Extraterrestrial life on Neptune is uncommon in fiction, though the exceptions have ranged from humanoids to gaseous lifeforms. Neptune's largest moon Triton has also appeared in fiction, especially in the late 20th century onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uranus in fiction</span>

Uranus has been used as a setting in works of fiction since shortly after its 1781 discovery, albeit infrequently. The earliest depictions portrayed it as having a solid surface, whereas later stories portrayed it more accurately as a gaseous planet. Its moons have also appeared in a handful of works. Both the planet and its moons have experienced a slight trend of increased representation in fiction over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fictional planets of the Solar System</span>

Fictional planets of the Solar System have been depicted since the 1700s—often but not always corresponding to hypothetical planets that have at one point or another been seriously proposed by real-world astronomers, though commonly persisting in fiction long after the underlying scientific theories have been refuted. Vulcan was a planet hypothesized to exist inside the orbit of Mercury between 1859 and 1915 to explain anomalies in Mercury's orbit until Einstein's theory of general relativity resolved the matter; it continued to appear in fiction as late as the 1960s. Counter-Earth—a planet diametrically opposite Earth in its orbit around the Sun—was originally proposed by the ancient Greek philosopher Philolaus in the fifth century BCE, and has appeared in fiction since at least the late 1800s. It is sometimes depicted as very similar to Earth and other times very different, often used as a vehicle for satire, and frequently inhabited by counterparts of the people of Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extrasolar planets in fiction</span>

Planets outside of the Solar System have appeared in fiction since at least the 1850s, long before the first real ones were discovered in the 1990s. Most of these fictional planets do not differ significantly from the Earth, and serve only as settings for the narrative. The majority host native lifeforms, sometimes with humans integrated into the ecosystems. Fictional planets that are not Earth-like vary in many different ways. They may have significantly stronger or weaker gravity on their surfaces, or have a particularly hot or cold climate. Both desert planets and ocean planets appear, as do planets with unusual chemical conditions. Various peculiar planetary shapes have been depicted, including flattened, cubic, and toroidal. Some fictional planets exist in multiple-star systems where the orbital mechanics can lead to exotic day–night or seasonal cycles, while others do not orbit any star at all. More fancifully, planets are occasionally portrayed as having sentience, though this is less common than stars receiving the same treatment or a planet's lifeforms having a collective consciousness.

Phaeton was the hypothetical planet hypothesized by the Titius–Bode law to have existed between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, the destruction of which supposedly led to the formation of the asteroid belt. The hypothetical planet was named for Phaethon, the son of the sun god Helios in Greek mythology, who attempted to drive his father's solar chariot for a day with disastrous results and was ultimately destroyed by Zeus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tunguska event in fiction</span>

The Tunguska event—an enormous explosion in a remote region of Siberia on 30 June 1908—has appeared in many works of fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black holes in fiction</span>

Black holes, objects whose gravity is so strong that nothing—including light—can escape them, have been depicted in fiction since at least the pulp era of science fiction, before the term black hole was coined. A common portrayal at the time was of black holes as hazards to spacefarers, a motif that has also recurred in later works. The concept of black holes became popular in science and fiction alike in the 1960s. Authors quickly seized upon the relativistic effect of gravitational time dilation, whereby time passes more slowly closer to a black hole due to its immense gravitational field. Black holes also became a popular means of space travel in science fiction, especially when the notion of wormholes emerged as a relatively plausible way to achieve faster-than-light travel. In this concept, a black hole is connected to its theoretical opposite, a so-called white hole, and as such acts as a gateway to another point in space which might be very distant from the point of entry. More exotically, the point of emergence is occasionally portrayed as another point in time—thus enabling time travel—or even an entirely different universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supernovae in fiction</span>

Supernovae, extremely powerful explosions of stars, have been featured in works of fiction since at least the early 1900s. The idea that the Sun could explode in this manner has served as the basis for many stories about disaster striking Earth, though it is now recognized that this cannot actually happen. Recurring themes in these stories include anticipating the inevitable destruction while being helpless and evacuating the planet, sometimes with the assistance of helpful aliens. The destruction of Earth in this manner occasionally serves as backstory explaining why humanity has started colonizing the cosmos. Another recurring scenario is radiation from more distant supernovae threatening Earth. Besides humans, alien civilizations are also occasionally subject to the dangers of supernovae. Supernovae are induced intentionally in several works, typically for use as weapons but sometimes for more peaceful purposes, and naturally occurring supernovae are likewise exploited in some stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comets in fiction</span>

Comets have appeared in works of fiction since at least the 1830s. They primarily appear in science fiction as literal objects, but also make occasional symbolical appearances in other genres. In keeping with their traditional cultural associations as omens, they often threaten destruction to Earth. This commonly comes in the form of looming impact events, and occasionally through more novel means such as affecting Earth's atmosphere in different ways. In other stories, humans seek out and visit comets for purposes of research or resource extraction. Comets are inhabited by various forms of life ranging from microbes to vampires in different depictions, and are themselves living beings in some stories.

<i>Amazing Stories Quarterly</i> U.S. science fiction pulp magazine

Amazing Stories Quarterly was a U.S. science fiction pulp magazine that was published between 1928 and 1934. It was launched by Hugo Gernsback as a companion to his Amazing Stories, the first science fiction magazine, which had begun publishing in April 1926. Amazing Stories had been successful enough for Gernsback to try a single issue of an Amazing Stories Annual in 1927, which had sold well, and he decided to follow it up with a quarterly magazine. The first issue of Amazing Stories Quarterly was dated Winter 1928 and carried a reprint of the 1899 version of H.G. Wells' When the Sleeper Wakes. Gernsback's policy of running a novel in each issue was popular with his readership, though the choice of Wells' novel was less so. Over the next five issues, only one more reprint appeared: Gernsback's own novel Ralph 124C 41+, in the Winter 1929 issue. Gernsback went bankrupt in early 1929, and lost control of both Amazing Stories and Amazing Stories Quarterly; associate editor T. O'Conor Sloane then took over as editor. The magazine began to run into financial difficulties in 1932, and the schedule became irregular; the last issue was dated Fall 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun in fiction</span>

The Sun has appeared as a setting in fiction at least since classical antiquity, but for a long time it received relatively sporadic attention. Many of the early depictions viewed it as an essentially Earth-like and thus potentially habitable body—a once-common belief about celestial objects in general known as the plurality of worlds—and depicted various kinds of solar inhabitants. As more became known about the Sun through advances in astronomy, in particular its temperature, solar inhabitants fell out of favour save for the occasional more exotic alien lifeforms. Instead, many stories focused on the eventual death of the Sun and the havoc it would wreak upon life on Earth. Before it was understood that the Sun is powered by nuclear fusion, the prevailing assumption among writers was that combustion was the source of its heat and light, and it was expected to run out of fuel relatively soon. Even after the true source of the Sun's energy was determined in the 1920s, the dimming or extinction of the Sun remained a recurring theme in disaster stories, with occasional attempts at averting disaster by reigniting the Sun. Another common way for the Sun to cause destruction is by exploding, and other mechanisms such as solar flares also appear on occasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact events in fiction</span>

Impact events have been a recurring theme in fiction since the 1800s.

References

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