Pluto no longer a planet?

[equator]

What do you guys think of this article?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/ap_on_sc/planet_mutiny_9










..

[ren]

I think it's a shame...

As I see it the scientific community had the choice to either:

1) knock Pluto off the list of planets on some spurious grounds (overlapping orbits never used to be a problem, it used to just be mass / gravity as I recall)

2) Add a pile more 'planets', as loads of 'whatevertheyares' had been found since Pluto that have greater mass.

I don't see the advantage - If it had been my choice I would have left Pluto in, and added anything that exceeded it in mass, had it's own orbit and had sufficient gravity to be spherical. I wonder if this decision knocks the wind out of those who want to search for new planets - we'll probably never find anything that qualifies....

[Hammurabi]

I think the more planets we have the better. I freely welcome the addition of such new planets as ceres, ub313, and sedna.

[Mark Pav]

Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system . . .

Pluto got fired? :eek:

I wonder how the prospects are for out-of-work planets.

[Leedogg]

Personally I never thought it should have full on planet status any way. It's smaller than our moon. If we to classify every lump of **** that flew around the sun we'd have too many planets.

[z0s0_jp]

should planets be classified as planets only if they reside inside the orbit of gas planets :rolleyes: discuss..........

[earthman buck]

I just think this whole thing is gonna be a colossal pain in the arse in terms of changing astronomy books and whatnot.

[R. Shackleferd]

should planets be classified as planets only if they reside inside the orbit of gas planets :rolleyes: discuss..........
No. They've found gas giant planets around other stars in much closer orbits compared to ours, which made them question the mechanics of the formation of the solar system, and how they assumed it would be the same for others. So if they found an earth-like planet beyond the giant, but still relatively close as we are, you'd still have to call it a planet. Thus our definition would have to apply in other systems as well.

And yeah, I prolly agree that Pluto doesn't share much of the same qualities that we associate with the other 8. But in that case, maybe we should also make a new sub-catagory for the gas giants as well. I mean, make Jupiter a little bigger and it would ignite into a star itself. Not to mention how many moons it has...it's almost a mini solar system. In the end, I don't really care about the linguistics of it all.

[rockonn91]

such bull ****.

[pure]

according to the new definition scientists are considering using for planets-

must be spherical by its own gravity
must orbit a star
and some other stuff i forgot...
there could be actually 12 planets in our solar system :eek:

[ren]

I've just been reading that the vote to demote Pluto is now in question, with apparently only 4% of the IAU membership in attendance. The suggestion is the vote was hijacked by dynamicist astronomers apparently.

From what I've read, the definition of 'planet' would also relegate Mars, Jupiter, Neptune and EARTH! as none of these have cleared their orbits as the new definition demands (and is the reason cited for Pluto's demotion).

Don't go changing your text books just yet.... :rolleyes:

[niccar113]

damn... now i'm gonna have to relearn that song from kindergarten about the nine planets...

[aschleman]

I wonder if we stop calling Pluto a planet... if it will spin out of control and wreak havoc on our solar system... yeah, I don't think so either...

Point in case... I don't really care... either way. The last time a thought about Pluto crossed through my mind was probably in kindergarten when I had to learn the solar system... So... it's not that heartbreaking for me.

[Hammurabi]

When something has three moons (charon, nix, and hydra) I call it a planet.

[rockonn91]

Point in case... I don't really care... either way. The last time a thought about Pluto crossed through my mind was probably in kindergarten when I had to learn the solar system... So... it's not that heartbreaking for me.
although thats true of me too, Im just pretty pissed that theyve been debating that for years when they could be... I donno... fixing world hunger or something. who knows.

but really now. whats even the point?

[R. Shackleferd]

damn... now i'm gonna have to relearn that song from kindergarten about the nine planets...
Yep, I was thinkin that too...
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas was the one I learned. I guess we'll just have to have Nachos and leave it at that? :confused:

[pure]

nevermind what i said earlier, today at school we have this morning news called "channel one news" and they said pluto is officially no longer considered a planet. its called a "dwarf" planet now.

[Fenderalltheway]

This debate has been going on for some time. Quite frankly, I think the more planets, the cooler, so I think it's a shame the first plan, add the two other asteroids as planets, wasn't accepted.

[earthman buck]

Yep, I was thinkin that too...
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas was the one I learned. I guess we'll just have to have Nachos and leave it at that? :confused:
Or else just My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine. :)

[magicninja]

Meh, in a hundred years something else will change. Science is ever evolving, however in this case it took a step back I think. I would rather have added new planets. At least it would look like we're getting somewhere.

[elklandercc]

I think space exploration is moving way too slow. We landed on the moon back in the 60's, so we decided to go back a year or 2 ago, now its gonna take another 10 years to get there?!?!

If all the countries stopped waging war over petty differences and just put all their money together, imagine the possibilities.

[rockonn91]

yeah man, we coulda been on mars and stuff using stuff like nucular batteries if they wernt so anal about that whole technology.

[magicninja]

Yeah it takes up around a billion dollars/launch. I'm sure the farther you go the more it costs and it probably goes up exponentially. Money sucks bring on communism.

[rockonn91]

Money sucks bring on communism.
amen. :cool:

[Andrew Sa]

I think space exploration is moving way too slow.

If all the countries stopped waging war over petty differences and just put all their money together, imagine the possibilities.


and you dont think maybe those funds could be better spent somewhere else? maybe on feeding and housing people?

[magicninja]

Money sucks bring on communism.
same difference

[Akira]

I kinda liked Pluto. :(

But yeah, I don't see why people are scared of adding new planets, to me it seems like a bit of a step back rather than forward.

[elklandercc]

and you dont think maybe those funds could be better spent somewhere else? maybe on feeding and housing people?
I'm not saying put all the money just twards space exploration.

Ways to fertillize parts of Africa or other countries who don't have much to export because the land can't grow crops, Re-build destroyed cities like New Orleans, the Middle East and such, figureing out how to patch up the ozone hole would be nice. Just a few things I thought of, anyone else feel free to add.

Like on that newer Star Trek movie, the guy asked how much it costs to build the ship. Jon Luke (hee hee) said they don't have a money system, they just work to better the world and human existence.` If only our world worked like that :( .

[rockonn91]

If only our world worked like that :( .
and I quote our good friend marcos...

bring on comunism.

:D