Pluto faces possible planetary pink slip

Parent Cafe
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<p>Scientists consider dropping its status as a planet</p>

<p>PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) – The ninth rock from the sun faces the prospect of being demoted to a “dwarf planet” on Thursday if the International Astronomical Union approves new planetary definitions.</p>

<p>Some scientists say Pluto never deserved to be a planet in the first place. It’s smaller than Earth’s moon, has a funky way of orbiting the sun, and lurks so far out on the fringes of the solar system even the powerful Hubble Space Telescope has to squint to see it.</p>

<p>Pluto is no stranger to controversy. In fact, it’s been dogged by disputes ever since its discovery in 1930.</p>

<p>Pluto got an ego boost in 1978 when it was found to have a moon that was later named Charon. The Hubble turned up two more, which this past June were christened Nix and Hydra.</p>

<p>But in the 1990s, more powerful telescopes revealed numerous bodies similar to Pluto in the neighborhood. New observations also showed that Pluto’s orbit was oblong, sending it soaring well above and beyond the main plane of the solar system where Earth and the other seven planets circle the sun.</p>

<p>That prompted some galactic grumbling from astronomers who began openly attacking Pluto’s planethood.</p>

<p>At one point, things looked so bad for Pluto, the international union said publicly in 1999 that rumors of Pluto’s imminent demise were greatly exaggerated and there were no plans to kick it out of the cosmic club.</p>

<p>A year later, the Hayden Planetarium at New York’s American Museum of Natural History was accused of snubbing Pluto by excluding it from a solar system exhibition.</p>

<p>Pluto took another hit after Michael Brown of the California Institute of Technology discovered 2003 UB313, a slightly larger Kuiper Belt object. What’s the point, some astronomers wondered, in keeping Pluto as a planet?</p>

<p>Richard Binzel, a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the international union’s planet definition committee, had contended that Pluto met key tests of planetary physics “by a long shot” and had earned its status.</p>

<p>On Thursday, looking weary, he was asked whether he’ll mourn if Pluto winds up demoted.</p>

<p>“I don’t know. Ask me later,” he said.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/08/24/pluto.ap/index.html[/url]”>http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/08/24/pluto.ap/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p><a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/ap_on_sc/planet_mutiny_7[/url]”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/ap_on_sc/planet_mutiny_7&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>So now there are only 8 planets in the solar system? This should be interesting.</p>

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<p>Now all the money involved in updating the text books.</p>

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<p>And having to come up with another mnemonic! :)</p>

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<p>Many Very Eager Men Jump Swiftly Under… Nothing?</p>

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<p>Pluto defies “intelligent design”. ;)</p>

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<p>I’ve read a “concession speech” by Pluto vowing to fight on.</p>

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<p>mootmom lol - My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickels. I guess that “pickels” doesn’t exist anymore so she just serves us nine now… ;)</p>

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<p>Maybe she serves us Noodles?</p>

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<p>mootmom:</p>

<p>Chalk one for string theory–or should it be noodle theory?</p>

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<p>May be he can become ‘independent’. Then the senator from Conn. can use Pluto as his party symbol.</p>

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<p>Woult the Party be called the Plutocrats?</p>

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<p>It’s all republican conspiracy. Pluto was never with us. He used to wonder around quite a bit in that oblong obrbit.</p>

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<p>Simba, I think the idea of the concession speech was in that vein. Otoh, there are people with whom I’ve had plutonic relationships and that wasn’t my only complaint.</p>

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<p>“It’s all republican conspiracy.”</p>

<p>Actually, it’s those Commie-pinko-terrorist-loving liberals. First it was new math. Then it was revisionist history. Now they’re messin’ with the planets. </p>

<p>They shouldn’t be allowed to change the status of any of the planets set forth in the Good Book. Next thing you know, they’ll have planets marrying each other.</p>

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<p>“they’ll have planets marrying each other”</p>

<p>:) :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :)</p>

<p>Now no one will be left out</p>

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<p>The next step is clearly “No Planetary Body Left Behind”</p>

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<p>Gosh, that takes me back to high school astronomy club: if I told you that you had a heavenly body, would you hold it against me?</p>

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<p>And that, folks, is what astronomers do when they’re bored: change arbitrary cultural terms that have nothing to do with actual science.</p>

<p>Though in the grand scheme of things, I guess I’m glad they ended up giving Pluto the boot, it was bound to happen eventually.</p>

<p>RIP Planet Pluto, 1930-2006</p>

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<p>Pluto vote ‘hijacked’ in revolt</p>

<p>A fierce backlash has begun against the decision by astronomers to strip Pluto of its status as a planet.</p>

<p><a href=“http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5283956.stm[/url]”>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5283956.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>On Thursday, experts approved a definition of a planet that demoted Pluto to a lesser category of object.</p>

<p>But the lead scientist on Nasa’s robotic mission to Pluto has lambasted the ruling, calling it “embarrassing”.</p>

<p>And the chair of the committee set up to oversee agreement on a definition implied that the vote had effectively been “hijacked”.</p>

<p>Pluto was disqualified because its highly elliptical orbit overlaps with that of Neptune.</p>

<p>Stern said like-minded astronomers had begun a petition to get Pluto reinstated. Car bumper stickers compelling motorists to “Honk if Pluto is still a planet” have gone on sale over the internet and e-mails circulating about the decision have been describing the IAU as the “Irrelevant Astronomical Union”.</p>