Michael E. Brown
The Caltech astronomer whose discovery of a distant icy world named Eris forced the world to demote Pluto and redefine what a planet is.
Born 1965 (age 61)·American astronomer·Birthday: June 5·Generation X
Biography
Mike Brown didn't set out to kill a planet, but his relentless search for objects in the solar system's dark frontiers made it inevitable. At Caltech, he and his team methodically scanned the skies beyond Neptune, building a catalog of distant icy bodies. In 2005, they found Eris, a world seemingly larger than Pluto. That discovery was the catalyst for a cosmic identity crisis. If Pluto was a planet, then so was Eris—and so were dozens of other similar objects. The astronomical community was forced to vote on a new definition, one that reclassified Pluto as a 'dwarf planet.' Brown, who blogs under the handle 'PlutoKiller,' embraced his role as a provocateur of planetary science. His work didn't just add to a list; it fundamentally reshaped our understanding of our own cosmic neighborhood and what it means to be a major world.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Michael was born in 1965, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Michael Was Born
The biggest hits of 1965
#1 Movie
The Sound of Music
Best Picture
The Sound of Music
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Michael's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1965Born
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1970Started school
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1978Became a teenager
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Could drive
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1983Could vote
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Turned 21
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1995Turned 30
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 40
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 50
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 60
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 61 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the team that discovered Eris, the most massive known dwarf planet in the solar system, in 2005.
- His discovery directly led to the International Astronomical Union's 2006 redefinition of 'planet' and Pluto's reclassification as a dwarf planet.
- Has discovered numerous other prominent trans-Neptunian objects, including Haumea, Makemake, and Sedna.
- Awarded the Caltech's prestigious Richard P. Feynman Prize for Outstanding Teaching in 2012.
Did You Know?
He nicknamed Eris 'Xena' after the television warrior princess before its official naming.
He wrote a popular book about the Pluto debate titled 'How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming.'
An asteroid, 11714 Mikebrown, is named in his honor.
His daughter, Lilah, was born on the day the IAU voted to demote Pluto.
“I, Mike Brown, as of today, have discovered more planets than anyone in the world. And I’m about to lose them all.”
