The International Astronomical Union officially demoted Pluto from "planet" to "dwarf planet." That means that we now have eight planets (according to the scientists), three dwarf planets, and thousands of "small solar-system bodies." Out of 2,500 astronomers from 75 nations that attended the conference (where Pluto was demoted) only about 300 voted. It will be sad if 300 “scientists” can really shift cultural thinking as easily as arbitrarily redefining planets. The new definition is "a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a ... nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit." I vote we keep it and add the other 2 as well. 11 planets is better than 8.
9 comments:
Give the power back to the people. This is like making a BLT a LT. You can't just get rid of the bacon like that.
I think it is good but I would rather there be 12 planets not 8 planets & 4 minor planets or whatever they reclassified it as. 12 planets is the number of the priesthood and I like the # 12
I don't know about the planet status. I thought Pluto was the dog in Mickey Mouse.
Dad
Pluto is a planet... At least for me. The "scientists" can say whatever they want.
The part about having cleared up it's space was just to keep pluto off. I bet it gets lonely out there Pluto just wants some friends. Also It's moon thinks it's a plannet. What about our man mad satelites, are we now not a planet since our earth cant clear them away. Or are they okay since they are man made :(
I bet those scientists wouldn't be so smug if we got visited my non man made satelites that our planet took it's sweet time clearing away.
I like pluto call it childhood sentimentality, and to me, it's a planet.
joseph
Ha Ha, Pluto from Holst's The Planets just came up on my Classical Music Play List.
Problem with the definition is that neptune hasn't cleared it's orbit either. Seeing as how pluto crosses orbits with it. And neither has Earth for that matter. The definition is wacked. Take Pluto off if you must but at least get a good definition of what a planet is. I have a theory that the astronomers that stayed till the last day had a conspiricy to demote the only planet found in the western hemisphere, cause they hate americans and are a bunch of european elitists.
To clarify, I don't have a problem with it being a dwarf planet. Hey it is pretty small and not sperical and whatever. And if fits nicely with the current scheme of rocky/terrestrial planets and gas giant planets and now dwarf planets, including its moon and ceres. But the definition needs to be fixed. I can't believe that these astronomers made such as obviously horrible defenition.
Yes the definition is bad, and the sad thing is it’s us that,s paying these astronomers to come up with this stuff. I say we cut way back and save enough money to build a super Hubble and get us some cool pictures of some planets outside of our solar system.
silly that 300 astronomers would undo a planet. especially my 3rd or 5th favorite one. earth, mars,jupiter, saturn, pluto, venus.. k my 5th favorite. so i'm keeping it or they have to get rid of mercury, venus, uranus, neptune. i always liked it because it was way out there on the edge of the solar system, i also thought it was cool when it and neptune switched places for a bit, and after all the gassies, to get back to a solid planet. anyway it's still a planet to me :) so there 300 scientists i'll never meet. tell that to the humans that will inhabit it in maybe 3-4 hundred years that it's not a planet, i think they'll beg to differ. i need to read previous comments before posting i think though i probably overlap a bunck
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