[_] [OT] Pluto no longer planet
Iain Hallam
lists at nineworlds.net
Thu Aug 24 20:43:28 BST 2006
Oliver Humpage wrote:
> Hoorah:
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/24/pluto_demoted/
>
> They've decided to add an all important clause [c] to the definition of a
> planet, which means Pluto isn't one.
>
> I thought all the press speculation a few days ago was a bit premature...
> the IAU hadn't actually voted back then, when every news item claimed there
> would now be 12 planets.
>
> I thoroughly agree with the decision though. Even if it does annoy the US
> astronomers, since Pluto was the only "planet" they'd managed to discover...
Likewise. Pluto's always struck me as an odd "planet": it's miles off
the ecliptic and has a really eccentric orbit compared with the others.
A blow for sanity in my opinion, especially since the other definition
would have eventually added dozens more "planets" to the solar system
for kids to remember. We're going to have to find new ways of getting
them to remember the canonical 8, now, though.
- Iain.
> Hoorah:
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/24/pluto_demoted/
>
> They've decided to add an all important clause [c] to the definition of a
> planet, which means Pluto isn't one.
>
> I thought all the press speculation a few days ago was a bit premature...
> the IAU hadn't actually voted back then, when every news item claimed there
> would now be 12 planets.
>
> I thoroughly agree with the decision though. Even if it does annoy the US
> astronomers, since Pluto was the only "planet" they'd managed to discover...
Likewise. Pluto's always struck me as an odd "planet": it's miles off
the ecliptic and has a really eccentric orbit compared with the others.
A blow for sanity in my opinion, especially since the other definition
would have eventually added dozens more "planets" to the solar system
for kids to remember. We're going to have to find new ways of getting
them to remember the canonical 8, now, though.
- Iain.