So now instead of three new planets for kids to learn, there’s one less. Pluto wasn’t all that great a planet, anyway. It wasn’t even the planet farthest out for most of the last quarter-century!
After a tumultuous week of clashing over the essence of the cosmos, the International Astronomical Union stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930. The new definition of what is — and isn’t — a planet fills a centuries-old black hole for scientists who have labored since Copernicus without one.
The only real question is, does it really matter? It’s still out there, no matter what we call it.
Your question is a chuckle, SmartAlix.
All the spooky and superstitious types think that what they or their holy books call something — actually means something. They aren’t about to let material reality interfere with their belief systems.
It’s been fun following the discussion in astronomic journals; but, even the most committed to one side or another have the common sense to realize they were only talking about classification.
At the edges of science it gets even more fun, Moss. Listening to cosmologists discuss multiple dimensions in string theory is like listening to monks debate the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin.
Pluto is no big loss…it was a Mickey Mouse planet anyway
A spokesman from Pluto said, “we wouldn’t want to be a member of a solar system who would have us.”
3: Classic.
It’s now the Shemp of the solar system. Everybody remembers Moe, Larry and Curly. Pluto is the odd planet out.
Clyde Tombaugh would be devastated.
Don’t care how many “planets” there are, 8, 9, 12, or 1000. I just care that the astronomical body classification system is consistent and leads to good science. Let the definitions change. Let it change again in a few years. Good science adapts, and should not be concerned with public opinion, or the cost of changing textbooks. Astronomical will be obsolete in a few years anyway.
Good science and public opinion don’t cause conflict. Should all the science professionals should bury their heads in the sand? Public opinion can help advance science and understanding. Public opinion changes. Scientists are also part of the public and have opinions, believe it or not. Science ignoring public opinion is just political thuggery.
So, science should include public opinion huh…um…ok.
Public opinion believes there’s an invisible man that lives in the sky and watches everything we do, every second of every day….just an example of public opinion. You really want public opinion in on scientific research?
Pluto’s still a planet to me. PC be damned.
This is a clear example a “geek cat fight.”
Never been there, can’t tell you if it’s true.
In the meantime, I didn’t know how to send this in, so here:
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/669/1
Apparently some wacko seriously considered sending a one man, one way mission to Mars…. Yes, ONE WAY! A suicide mission. And the article is dead serious…
Just goes to show how desperate the US Space Program has gotten… It can’t rid itself from all the political and economical problems it’s had during the past 30, going on 40, years, so let’s just give up and send a suicide up there…
Yikes…
I always figured Pluto was just a little lost moon anyway.
And why is a one-way Mars mission “wacko?” I’d go.
Political science depends on public opinion and we have elections. All science can benefit from public opinion. I guess if you are a facist or want a dictatorship, you say the hell with public opinion. The public will say screw you.
So Jim if the public wants something, science should just throw away facts and observation and everything that makes science and go with public opinion?
Ok, the world is flat then, Earth is also the center of the universe. The planets are really on crystal spheres circling the world. That was the public opinion hundreds of years ago and those pesky dictatorship scientists ignored that and found something different! Let’s throw that all out now and go back to what the public opinion was and move forward from there.
Also, political science is a tad different from the hard sciences…and I’m amazed I have to point that out to someone.
I’m not sure exactly what a tad is or what hard science is. If it works for you, scientifically or not, I can respect your opinion. Part of science is imagination and that can’t be measured. I imagine other people have different opinions. Thanks for pointing things out. I’m really confused now.
But there are 9 planets remaining… don’t forget Planet “X” that is going to destroy the Earth. Or is it’s orbit too elliptical to be included as a planet?
Screw em!
Show your support of Pluto by refusing to accept this downgrade!
Who is the authority here? If we choose to say that a piece of gravel orbiting the sun is a planet, so be it. If the definition changes to say that a planet is only a planet if it supports Earth like life, then we are down to one planet and that weirdo moon that appears to be capable of supporting life, uh, it orbits Nepture/Uranus or a planet to be named in the future. I can’t recall the name due to a lack of coffee/drugs/oxygen today.
Wait! What if we decide that only red planets are planets. That cuts the whole solor system down to Mars and whatever side of Mercury is currently facing the sun (Mercury isn’t any large whopping size of a planet either, although it is bigger than Pluto).
Does anyone actually care about all of this once you are out of grade school?
I am on Earth. Earth orbits the Sun. Therefore I orbit the Sun. Am I a planet?
In my mind Pluto will always be a planet. Once a planet, always a planet. What’s next? Most stuff done or decided on globally turns into a mess sooner or later. Now we are deciding the status of other planets as we screw our own planet up. Next some global group will be renaming the Moon or some international corporation will be selling naming rights for it. The Moon is made of cheese, so it’s really dumb calling it the Moon. It’s really just a cheese planet. The Pluto designation was decided on after several bottles of wine.
The other solar systems are now laughing at us. “Look at Earth. They are a bunch of idiots! First they elect Bush twice and now this Pluto thing. Can’t they get anything right?”
The intelligent life from other parts of the solar system who built the Internet for us (you don’t think we built it) may just decide it’s time to shut it off.
Look at Earth, we give them the Internet and all they do is try to break the damn thing and now the budinskis delist Pluto.
You might go to connect and find the whole Internet is no longer here. They might just erase all the servers with a giant space magnet or something. Bush will be on television declaring it terrorism and we’ll be invading Pluto next. Pluto is part of the axis of evil and a solar system sponsor of terrorism. Certainly we’ll see the Department of Earthland Security jump into action. Condi Rice will be yapping about cooperation between the community of planets and Rumsfeld will be planning detention camps on the Moon. Cheney will declare World War 3.0 on the entire solar system and line up old corporate pals for a raid on the Treasury Department and World Bank. Every Republican will remind you that the solar system would of been safer if we just built Reagans Star Wars system. Kissinger will just shake his head and try to explain the unexplainable like he’s been doing since the Nixon days.
Like I said, it’s still up there no matter what we call it.
#14,
We blogged that one-way trip to mars HERE. Dumb idea IMNSHO.
A human has an imagination. We are all a part of nature and without us there would be no science. Science is human and a part of humanity. Science has a whole lot to do with imagination. I don’t see how you can seperate humanity from science and have a humanity worth much of anything. You can’t study science in any meaningful way without using your imagination, unless you want to be bored out of your mind.
You can’t study science in any meaningful way without using your imagination, unless you want to be bored out of your mind.
This doesn’t apply to government scientists. They are forbidden from using any part of their imagination unless designing something that can wipe the population of the Earth out in seconds. Bombs away!
PLUTO IS A PLANET!!!
I’ll fight any man who says otherwise!!!!
🙂
Wow Jim…
I like your spirit here – but you really do have a skewed view of science.
Imagination makes for good science fiction. Reality makes for better actual science.
Pluto — “Size does not matter, it’s what you do with it.”
In Pluto’s case its how you orbit I guess. If your not in the same plane as the other planets, YOUR out.
Remember that post about relative size of Earth, planets and Suns.
Guess we are just an Asteroid that happens to hold a bunch of sentient creatures that discuss things out of there realm.
Enzo
William,
I’ll file that in my growing ideas for a new book file. If I could get an advance it would be a deal. I’ve already sold one copy. Maybe I should take orders and then write the book. Everybody wants it like yesterday, today.
Thanks!