Pluto loses planet status (1 Viewer)

[Rafy]

"Pluto, formerly the solar system's smallest planet, has been stripped of its status by the International Astronomical Union, reducing the number of planets to eight."

Pluto loses status as a planet

Astronomers meeting in the Czech capital have voted to strip Pluto of its status as a planet.

About 2,500 experts were in Prague for the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) general assembly.

Astronomers rejected a proposal that would have retained Pluto as a planet and brought three other objects into the cosmic club.

Pluto has been considered a planet since its discovery in 1930 by the American Clyde Tombaugh.

The ninth planet will now effectively be airbrushed out of school and university textbooks.

The decision was made at a meeting of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Prague. The astronomers voted by raising their yellow ballot papers for a count.

"The eight planets are Mercury, Earth, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune," said the IAU resolution, which was passed following a week of stormy debate. [...]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5282440.stm

The Definition of planet

(1) A "planet" [1] is a celestial body that: (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

(2) A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that: (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape [2], (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.

(3) All other objects [3] except satellites orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar System Bodies".

Footnotes:

[1] The eight planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

 

[bazookajoe]

Well that's pretty stupid, it fits the criteria doesn't it?
Sorry if I'm completely wrong, I'm not a keen astronomer...cosmologist...whatever.

 

[Aryanbeauty]

Such a shame, don't they have anyother thing to do than demoting a planet's status? Pluto will always remain in my heart forever

 

[AntiHyper]

After much debate, the IAU decided on August 24, 2006 to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet.

Well there you go, not a normal planet but just a small one.

In my opinion if they've reclassified Pluto then they may as well reclassify Mercury as its size is small too.

 

[lengy]

It was the best decision to make in my opinion. I'll always remember Pluto and the need to sacrifice it so that three other lesser masses would not be included in our solar system.

 

[Calculon]

Well that's pretty stupid, it fits the criteria doesn't it?
Sorry if I'm completely wrong, I'm not a keen astronomer...cosmologist...whatever.

They changed it such that it has to be the largest object in its direct neighbourhood, and given Pluto/Charon's similar size/strange orbit pattern, they decided neither is a planet.

 

[AntiHyper]

I wonder what will happen to the Pluto spacecraft mission "New Horizons". It's not meant to get there until 2015, which is a hell of a long time.

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/

The compact disc containing more than 430,000 names is now on the New Horizons spacecraft-on the way to Pluto.

That's quite nice, and symbollic except nothing will read it.

 

[fatmuscle]

School teachers will be struggling to find a new pneumonic to teach the school kiddies

 

[tennille]

Awww...there are only eight planets now. But this has been going on for years, anyway. I feel sorry for the authors who now have to update their textbooks.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

Pluto was a lame planet, bring on XENU 5!

 

[HotShot]

School teachers will be struggling to find a new pneumonic to teach the school kiddies

man there are less planets to remember and u have whole life to remember them as well. its not like its that important to remember 8 planets in order...

anyway.. the earth should have special category of some sort - its definetly different than other planest -it has lifeforms on it.

 

[*Love-2-Hate-U*]

I don't believe this.

 

[fatmuscle]

lol there's more to learn now.

"Between 1930 and 2006, there were 9 planets in the solar system.
In August 2006, Pluto was officially stripped of it's planetary title to a dwarf planet leaving on 8 planets in the solar system."

or a MC Question...

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

oh... *tear*

lol.

 

[SashatheMan]

Pluto was a lame planet, bring on XENU 5!

isnt it xena? as in xena the warrior princess

 

[malkin86]

Apparently the bigwigs are deadset against calling it Xena...

 

[((bron))]

Pluto was always my favourite...
I feel like I've lost a piece of me...

 

[Generator]

Demoted Pluto renamed '134340'

 

[Rafy]

The following is a resolution presented in the Californian legislature.

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/hr_36_bill_20060824_introduced.pdf

House Resolution No. 36—Relative to Pluto’s planetary status.

WHEREAS, Recent astronomical discoveries, including Pluto's oblong orbit and the sighting of a slightly larger Kuiper Belt object, have led astronomers to question the planetary status of Pluto; and

WHEREAS, The mean-spirited International Astronomical Union decided on August 24, 2006, to disrespect Pluto by stripping Pluto of its planetary status and reclassifying it as a lowly dwarf planet; and

WHEREAS, Pluto was discovered in 1930 by an American, Clyde Tombaugh, at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, and this discovery resulted in millions of Californians being taught that Pluto was the ninth planet in the solar system; and

WHEREAS, Pluto, named after the Roman God of the underworld and affectionately sharing the name of California's most famous animated dog, has a special connection to California history and culture; and

WHEREAS, Downgrading Pluto's status will cause psychological harm to some Californians who question their place in the universe and worry about the instability of universal constants; and

WHEREAS, The deletion of Pluto as a planet renders millions of text books, museum displays, and children's refrigerator art projects obsolete, and represents a substantial unfunded mandate that must be paid by dwindling Proposition 98 education funds, thereby harming California's children and widening its budget deficits; and

WHEREAS, The deletion of Pluto as a planet is a hasty, ill-considered scientific heresy similar to questioning the Copernican theory, drawing maps of a round world, and proving the existence of the time and space continuum; and

WHEREAS, The downgrading of Pluto reduces the number of planets available for legislative leaders to hide redistricting legislation and other inconvenient political reform measures; and

WHEREAS, The California Legislature, in the closing days of the 2005-06 session, has been considering few matters important to the future of California, and the status of Pluto takes precedence and is worthy of this body's immediate attention; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly hereby condemns the International Astronomical Union's decision to strip Pluto of its planetary status for its tremendous impact on the people of California and the state's long term fiscal health; and be it further

Resolved, That the Assembly Clerk shall send a copy of the resolution to the International Astronomical Union and to any Californian who, believing that his or her legislator is addressing the problems that threaten the future of the Golden State, requests a copy of the resolution.