*bangs head against wall* in frustration...
Why are they trying to change Pluto's category as a planet?? Why can't they stop discriminating against it for its size?
http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/26069/are-the-planets-aligned#comments
2006-08-11 14:44:52 · 14 answers · asked by Buzz Lightyear 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
is that what its all about?? i read it and didnt understand the damn article...but who cares what happens to pluto...god i shouldnt have said that...=)
2006-08-11 14:48:18 · answer #1 · answered by ξℓ Çђαηφσ 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The size of an object orbiting the Sun has not much to do with whether or not it qualifies as a planet if it is spherical in shape (which Pluto indeed is.) After reading the following, there is no sound scientific reason good enough that would overturn Pluto as a planet back down to say... an asteroid. =\
"A PLANET IS: any large, spherical, natural object which directly orbits a star, and does not generate heat by nuclear fusion. This definition is simple, is based on a physical definition of how large an object must be to be considered a planet, and without modification it will give the same results when applied to any planetary system. This definition distinguishes planets from asteroids and comets, which directly orbit our star, but are generally not large enough to be pulled into a spherical shape by their own gravity, and it distinguishes planets from stars, which frequently are in direct orbit around other stars, but generate heat internally by nuclear fusion. According to this definition, Pluto is clearly a planet. "
2006-08-11 15:33:57 · answer #2 · answered by Angela 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've long felt that Pluto should not be called a planet. It doesn't resemble any of the other planets, but it does resemble some of the moons of the gas giant planets. Plus, now we are finding other objects beyond Pluto that are a lot like Pluto, we call them Kuiper Belt objects (think Asteroid Belt, except they are giant ice balls, not rocks). Some Kuiper Belt objects are bigger than Pluto. If Pluto is a planet, then these other things will have to be called planets, too, and there are likely hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of Kuiper Belt objects that are roughly the size of Pluto.
In the end, what category we put Pluto in doesn't change what Pluto is. It's a very interesting place in a remote part of our Solar System, one that is very worthy of study.
2006-08-11 15:00:11 · answer #3 · answered by kris 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Pluto doesn't really change if we call it a planet or not. Astronomers are changing there opinion because back in the mid 20th century they thought anything orbiting a star was a planet. Now they think that it is a comet that got caught in the Sun's gravitational pull. Things change over time.
2006-08-11 15:54:21 · answer #4 · answered by Eric X 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who cares weather they call it a planet or a planetoid? How big is it? Pluto is smaller than Earth's Moon. And it is not in alignment with the rest of the planets.
2006-08-11 15:41:46 · answer #5 · answered by Kevin H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think they classified pluto as a planet a long time ago. Now they have discovered that there is a lot more in space (universe) then the technology would allow the scientists to prove back then.
2006-08-11 15:10:42 · answer #6 · answered by hvn4bid 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They are looking for a good rule to distinguish planets from other orbiting bodies. There are tens of thousands of objects beyond Neptune, and many of them could be larger than Pluto. If Pluto is a planet, we could have to let hundreds of other objects into the club, and then poor grade school students will be stuck learning the names of them all.
2006-08-11 14:54:09 · answer #7 · answered by NotEasilyFooled 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Well, there's an almost 100% assurance that there's no intelligent life on Pluto to protest it losing its status as a planet; as its definition as such is merely a human construct, how much does it matter?
2006-08-11 15:41:34 · answer #8 · answered by jasonwrites42 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If they are not interested in researching the planet,or traveling to it in the future,then why call it a planet? Why not a rock? The moon is a planet,because we research it,so is Mars. The other planets,don't really matter that much,if the government doesn't care,I don't really care either.
Good Luck & Best Wishes-
2006-08-11 14:49:37 · answer #9 · answered by Jeremy 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
What the heck! Why would they do that? They have classified it as a planet for all these years and they find this new planet and now it's just some floating thing!!!
2006-08-11 14:48:46 · answer #10 · answered by Abbey 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has been called a planet for this long, it should remain a planet.
2006-08-11 14:49:02 · answer #11 · answered by Shaula 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋