Hail Pluto, well met

[mikeyocc50]

Yea all stuff that I learned in school growing up. My response might of come off the wrong way. Just disappointed in what happened but as you said things change and I'm sure when they grow up they will learn many interesting things in school and from myself.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Welcome to SDC, by the way.<br /><br />Hey, when I think back on all the (crap) I learned in high school, it's a wonder I know anything at all.<br />{apologies to Paul Simon, for my lousy singing voice}<br /><br />Seriously, this is one reason I have Scientific Americans going back to when I first became a child of space exploration. Things have changed an awful lot in the last few decades.<br />Remember when Jupiter had 4 moons, what's the count now? 68 or so? I haven't checked this week <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br />We are actually quite lucky to live at this time when our knowledge of the solar system is expanding so rapidly.<br /><br />Fasten yer seatbelt and enjoy the ride!!! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[Philotas]

<font color="yellow">If Pluto is indeed to be a planet then scientifically term "planet" means absolutely nothing. heck, lets just be astrologists. </font><br /><br /><br />But what happened is that Pluto is _not_ to be planet. That's how the definition was formed: keep the planet count low at all costs. <br /><br />Sadly, science dropped out in the process. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Philotas]

<font color="yellow">Remember for how long the earth was thought to be flat? <br />Will you still teach your kids that because it's historic? </font><br /><br />It's not comparable. The view of Pluto as a celestial object has not changed apart from it's definition(which means nothing).<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

I see I missed the IAU fanfare on SDC last night. For my 2c. I agree with Stern's comments in the SDC article.<br /><br />I have no ire or sentimentality, I think the new proposal is more confusing than the original proposal put up. <br /><br />I note they say <br /><br /><font color="yellow">A dwarf planet is not a planet!</font><br /><br />Does this mean a short person is not a person?<br />A pygmy hippopotamus is not a hippopotamus?<br /> <br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

A jumbo shrimp isn't big?<br /><img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[yevaud]

Hmm...now then...<br /><br />(Make up your mind!) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

That's right, in NE, a JUMMMMBBBBOOOO shrimp is a lobster. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[yevaud]

Naah.<br /><br />Up here, a "Jumbo Shrimp" would be a 300 pound Dwarf.<br /><br />And we keep Lobsters as pets. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[bonzelite]

just to the general audience, what will happen when they find a mercury-sized world beyond pluto? then what? or a mars-sized world?

 

[alokmohan]

They will call it a planet.But the emotion over pluto is unexpected.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5283956.stm So many men including Ian Stern want pluto be called a planet.

 

[yevaud]

As long as they fit the criteria set down, they will be Planets, I suppose. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[robina_williams]

Well, I feel really upset today about Pluto. In fact I choose to believe that it is still a planet. I had read the BBC News item, and agree with Dr. Stern's comments. I don't have to believe it isn't a planet if I don't want to. And I don't want to. I really like Pluto and shall continue to think of it as a most interesting planet.

 

[harmonicaman]

<b>Robina_Williams -</b><br /><br /><i>"...I choose to believe that it is still a planet.</i><br /><br />And I agree that you should! The only thing that has changed here is that Pluto has now been officially grouped with a number of other objects that have been recently discovered out beyond Neptune. This nomenclature change is simply an effort to disambiguate the Solar System and an attempt to put everything in its own neat little niche. <br /><br />It isn't a perfect solution, but new discoveries forced a decision to be made so that the number of objects we consider to be "Major Planets" wouldn't become too cumbersome. <br /><br />It appears there's a lot of stuff out there just like Pluto and it seems logical to group all this stuff together, like the asteroids have their own special grouping -- at least for the time being...<img src="/images/icons/rolleyes.gif" />

 

[ldyaidan]

I don't really understand why everyone is so upset. I know that no one really likes change, and this is a big change from what we've always been taught. However, we are learning and discovering new things. And sometimes, we find that those things we once held as true have also changed. I think it's a positive step in the right direction. If we can't accept minor changes, such as the category that a planet is in, how will we react to bigger discoveries?<br /><br />Rae

 

[ittiz]

I remember reading awhile ago that if the "pluto ain't a planet" people got their way that they would discount object up to the size of Mars as planets if they were found in the Kuiper belt. So I guess those objects wouldn't be planets. I have a feeling that they would pretty much discount any object as a planet beyond Jupiter if it's not a gas giant at this point, since it probably would have formed the same way pluto did.

 

[MeteorWayne]

I don't think that's true.<br />If a Mars sized object were discovered in a near circular orbit beyeond Neptune, it <i> could </i> be considered a planet.<br /><br />Pluto's problem was it's a very small object, in a highly inclined, elliptical orbit, with what will turn out to be dozens of like objects.<br />That set it apart from the remaining eight <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[ittiz]

The only one of those things that has to do with the definion is size. A mars sized object in the kuiper belt wouldn't be a dominant body by the IAU's standards. People seem to want to ignore certain aspects of the definition (and add other new ones) to fit with ideas. If it is to be a truely scientific definition that can't be done. Mars isn't even three times the size of pluto or some other large objects in the kuiper belt. So an object of that size probably wouldn't be a planet if it were in the kuiper belt.<br /><br />*EDIT*<br />Even by volume Mars doesn't cut the "must be 100 times" butter.

 

[Saiph]

well, if a mars sized object was in the region, a lot of those other kbo's wouldn't be there as they'd slowly be absorbed, or disrupted by the presence of mars.<br /><br />So it may very well become the dominant object given enough time. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#c0c0c0"><br /></font></p><p align="center"><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">----</font></em></font><font color="#666699">SaiphMOD@gmail.com </font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">-------------------</font></em></font></p><p><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">"This is my Timey Wimey Detector.  Goes "bing" when there's stuff.  It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually.  I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- </font></em></font><font size="1" color="#999999">The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

It actually might be. If it were in the plane of the solar system, it probably would <i> over a long enough period of time </i> clear out it's space.<br />When we find one, we'll see! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Sorry, Saiph, didn't mean to step on you there.<br />I believe we were making the same point. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[ittiz]

Neptune never sucked Pluto up (and simulations show it never will). So I'm sure lots of large bodies would escape a mars sized object.

 

[MeteorWayne]

A mars sized object in a near circular orbit would really heat things up. It wouldn't be large enough to lock as many objects into resonances, so would just stir the pot.<br /><br />Like I said, we'll see, and that's part of the point.<br />If in 76 years we've found enough objects out there that fit into a certain category, we can revisit this.<br />There needed to be a definition.<br /><br />It is what it is for now.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[ittiz]

You should edit your post for factual consistancy. Jupiter has a radius of 133,709km. So it has a diameter less than 50k and would fall in your less than Neptune category.

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>It is what it is for now.</i><br /><br />I know people in the Mob who use that phrase: 'It is what it is.' But I think you have summed up what the IAU has accomplished as well as anyone has.<br /><br />My only question at this time: When will they demote Mercury?