Guess Gustav Holst was right not to change THE PLANETS

[CMJ]

It was demoted today in Prague.

[Fiona Devlin]

huh?

[Droo]

Demoted?

[Ryan Pode]

Sucks to be Pluto.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/ap_on_sc/planet_mutiny

[Oriadin]

Feels kinda lonely... :uhoh

[Darth McBain]

In a logical way it makes sense - but it still doesn't feel right - I'll miss Pluto as a planet...

[Michele Hawkins]

Instead, it will be reclassified in a new category of "dwarf planets," similar to what long have been termed "minor planets." The definition also lays out a third class of lesser objects that orbit the sun — "small solar system bodies," a term that will apply to numerous asteroids, comets and other natural satellites

So, it's too far away and too small. Poor Pluto :( Planet gets no respect! sniffle...

[Khendon Sevon]

Pluto should rebel.

Then again, if Pluto is a real dwarf it's probably getting drunk and preparing to lob off some knees with its axe.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

I read that this morning. And here they were talking about addind 3 more to the lineup *shrug*

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Pluto will always be a planet in my heart. :cry

[CMJ]

Mine too. It does have 3 moons for crying out loud. :p

[JMK]

I don't feel too bad for Pluto. Look at Endor....it isn't even considered a planet. ;)

[Jedieb]

:lol

As long as they leave Uranus alone, you have nothing to worry about. Yuck, yuck, yuck..... :crack

"Uranus is frigging massive dude - it won't be knocked out"
"That's why it takes me a half hour to go to the can!"

Yes, let the sophomoric hilarity of Uranus commence!

[CMJ]

What Eb didn't mention, was that was from our IM conversation on the subject. :lol :lol

[Katarina Gordislava]

Endor *is* a planet. I believe you're thinking of Endor's forest moon. ;)

:lol And you call yourself a Star Wars fan. :twak

:p

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I hate to do this, but you tripped the censor.

Please edit ;)

[Morgan Evanar]

Never liked him or Goofy, good riddance.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

:lol

(thanks Jedieb, you're my favorite ;). Don't tell anyone :uhoh :lol)

[JMK]

Originally posted by Katarina Gordislava
Endor *is* a planet. I believe you're thinking of Endor's forest moon. ;)

:lol And you call yourself a Star Wars fan. :twak

:p

Hey, if it's not in the movie, then it doesn't exist. ;)

What I MEANT to say, is that if the moon isn't a planet, then Pluto has nothing to complain about.

[CMJ]

On another board we've been discussing this as well. It morphed into a discussion on who was what planet, which led to this clever exchange for those who know my hobbies.


Me


I'm Jupiter - The Bringer Of Jollity ;)


Response



And how perfect is it that its two red spots are massive swirling hurricanes?

LMAO!

[Lilaena De'Ville]

:lol yes, very appropriate!

[Figrin D'an]

The decision to redefine the term "planet" is just fine, IMO. Pluto's status as a true planet has long been questioned because of it's non-planar, oblong orbit, but considering how many other objects have been found in the Kuiper Belt (at least one of them larger than Pluto), it's reasonable to reclassify it as a dwarf planet, along with Charon, "Xena" and others.

Eight classical planets, four dwarf planets (currently, more will be added I'm sure). Works for me.

[Oriadin]

Apparently there has been a bit of a backlash on the decision to re-classify pluto as a dwarf planet.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5283956.stm

[Jaime Tomahawk]

In a bizarre twist, the dwarf Planet Pluto has been found hanign in it's bedroom of apparent suicde.

"I just wanted some respect!" is believed to have been scrawled on a suspected suicide note. Galatic Police arent commenting as yet, but no suspicuious circumstances are believed to be invovled, dispite last year's arrest fo Pluto and Venus after an all night asteroids and space dust party, leading to charges of indecent orbit.

Pluto's neigbour Neptune was quoted as saying Pluto was always a quiet planet, if a bit cold.

[Alpha]

Originally posted by Jaime Tomahawk
In a bizarre twist, the dwarf Planet Pluto has been found hanign in it's bedroom of apparent suicde.

"I just wanted some respect!" is believed to have been scrawled on a suspected suicide note. Galatic Police arent commenting as yet, but no suspicuious circumstances are believed to be invovled, dispite last year's arrest fo Pluto and Venus after an all night asteroids and space dust party, leading to charges of indecent orbit.

Pluto's neigbour Neptune was quoted as saying Pluto was always a quiet planet, if a bit cold.

:lol

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I suspect that the Galactic Police should go round and question Pluto's other neighbor, 2003 UB313. I heard a rumor that he's responsible for Pluto's demotion.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Poor Pluto, well it is still a dwarf planet so it isn't that big of deal. It is funny how they go from 12 planets to 8 in a matter of a week.

[Jaime Tomahawk]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
Poor Pluto, well it is still a dwarf planet so it isn't that big of deal. It is funny how they go from 12 planets to 8 in a matter of a week.

It is if your a planet. How would you like to suffer orbit envy? Huh? HUH!!!! Think of the poor planets before you say inconsiderate things like that! Right now poor Pluto is swinging from a closest dead because every other object in the solar system mocked him with cries of DWARF PLANET!!! YOUR MOMMA NEVER LOVED YOU!!!!

Poor Pluto. No wonder his orbit was eccentric.

[Jedi Master Carr]

LOL you know what would have been worse though is that we could have had 12 and one of them would have been named Xena. That would have been worth a laugh.

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by Jedieb
:lol

As long as they leave Uranus alone, you have nothing to worry about. Yuck, yuck, yuck..... :crack

"Uranus is frigging massive dude - it won't be knocked out"
"That's why it takes me a half hour to go to the can!"

Yes, let the sophomoric hilarity of Uranus commence! ROTFLMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

[CMJ]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
LOL you know what would have been worse though is that we could have had 12 and one of them would have been named Xena. That would have been worth a laugh.

That is just the shorthand name, it hasn't been offically named anything.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by CMJ
That is just the shorthand name, it hasn't been offically named anything.

Funny, I just read about that. I was curious about that and Ceres and looked it all up. I was only going by the medie on the Xena thing. I read Brown would like to call it Persephone or probably the Roman version Proserpina because she was Pluto's wife in Roman myth. That would work better than Xena.

[Yog]

/nerdmode

The proposal of making Ceres (an asteroid in the middle of the freakin asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter), and the moon of Pluto, Charon into a planet was a terrible idea. You allmost have to wonder if they came up with a proposal like that, so they could kick out Pluto easier, since its contra to popular demand. It would never been approved by sane astronomers. I also don't think the general public wants to remember the names of several dozen planets they don't care about.

However, they could easily have gotten away with keeping Pluto a planet and only adding barycenter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UB313>Xena</a>).

Had Pluto been outed as a planet because its an object in the <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_Belt>kuiper belt</a>, the decision would have made more sense. But no, apparently, Pluto is not a planet because of its eccentric orbit. Its so eliptical, its overlapping with Neptune. Huh, whats that for a vague definition? All planet orbits are eliptical or non planar to some degree. Where does the border line go? Earth, Mars, Jupiter do not meet the criteria of having "cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit" either, because of asteroids. Neptune on the other hand is somehow still a planet, even though its breaking the same criteria that Pluto does. Talk about inconsistancy.

Finally, whats gonna happen when they find huge planets in other solar systems having just as eccentric orbit as Pluto does? They are setting themselves up for a headache. Its neither good science or improving the public image of astronomy. Now, because they were too incompetent to come up with a decent definition, they have to rewrite all our books on astronomy.

/exit nerd mode

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah the orbit bit really is stupid. We have no clue what the orbits of planets in other solar systems are like. The size bit well I think that isn't as important either. Mercury is now the smallest planet should that be kicked off because it is so small now? I mean there are moons of Jupiter and Saturn that are bigger than Mercury so really that can't be a planet. And you can't say well Pluto is a giant ice ball and nothing but a rock, but you can argue Mercury is a giant lava ball or Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter are all giant gas balls. Honestly, I would have just kept the way things were.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I think its only matter of time before someone starts calling Earth the 'master-planet' and demanding that the others are all classified as inconsequential bits of space dust.

[Morgan Evanar]

That's when the aliens on Saturn's moons will attack us for our arrogance.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
I think its only matter of time before someone starts calling Earth the 'master-planet' and demanding that the others are all classified as inconsequential bits of space dust.

That would be very arrogant of us and would be going back to pre 1500's when everybody thought Earth was the center of the universe.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
I think its only matter of time before someone starts calling Earth the 'master-planet' and demanding that the others are all classified as inconsequential bits of space dust. :p
fixed ;)

I was kidding, Carr. :mneh

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
fixed ;)

I was kidding, Carr. :mneh

Heh thats better.