Don't ya kinda feel bad for Pluto?

Question

It has been a Planet since the 1930's and now we just kick it to the curb.If you were a Planet and that happened to you, how would you feel? Assuming of course, that Planets had feelings. I say leave the damn thing alone, it's not hurting anything by being called a Planet.There are bigger things to be concerned with on THIS PLANET.

Answer 1

I totally agree with you. Although in an ideal world I would prefer an 8-planet Solar System, Pluto has been part of the family for so long (all my life) that it seems cruel to kick it out in the cold now.

I know what people are saying about there being bigger plutons out there, but that is beside the point. Pluto has been family, and you don't do that to family.

Answer 2

...sigh...

Pluto is no less of an object. The DEFINITION of the word "planet" has changed. If the International Astronomical Union decided to change the definition of "planet" to "a baked dessert of german origin made with stewed apple and pastry" then pluto would also not be a planet anymore. But would it change anything at all about pluto? No. Pluto is still there, its just a different type of thing. If anything, it is now more special, being the first "dwarf planet" in our solar system.

Oh, and GreyGoul had an excellent point, but Agent C's was even better.

have a nice day.

Answer 3

I agree that there are more immediate things to tackle in this world. However, I kind of feel sad that Pluto's status has been relegated. Hypothetically, what if earth was found to be too small and not a planet?

In any case, like-minded individual sign the petition against this decision at http://pleasesavepluto.org/

Answer 4

Poor guy. I suppose now we should call it "the spherical mass formerly known as the planet Pluto"?

I think it's just a way to make the education system spend more money on new books and wall charts. Not to mention, make every kid's science project for the last 70 years wrong.

Answer 5

G'day Lifeisfunstuff,

Thank you for your question.

Yes it sucks to be be Pluto right now. It was finally discovered in 1930 and admitted to the big boys club. It has now been relegated to the minor leagues as a dwarf planet. (The dwarf planets would be a great name for a band but I digress).

From its discovery in 1930 until 2006, Pluto was considered the ninth planet of the solar system by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). After recent discoveries of other trans-Neptunian objects, most notably 2003 UB313, which is larger than Pluto, the IAU redefined the term 'planet'; this resulted in Pluto being reclassified as a dwarf planet. Pluto can take some consolation in being the prototype of a yet-to-be-named family of trans-Neptunian objects.

The 2006 redefinition of planet is a a body that has "cleared the neighborhood" around its orbit. A full definition may be found below.

Since the discovery of Pluto in 1930, astronomers had considered the solar system to contain nine planets, and assorted other bodies. The discovery, over recent years, that there are at least three (Quaoar, Sedna and 2003 UB313), and probably more, bodies which orbit the sun in a planet-like manner and which are comparable to Pluto in size, led to a situation where either the minor bodies would be added the list of officially recognized planets, or older ones would need to be removed, in order to ensure consistency of definition (as well as to address concerns about the classification of planets in other solar systems). In 2006, the matter came to a head with the need to categorize and name the recently-discovered trans-plutonic object 2003 UB313.

Debate within the IAU led to suggested proposals to redefine the term "planet" so as to include other objects beyond the traditional nine planets which have historically been considered part of the solar system. The proposal is denoted as Resolutions 5A, 5B, 6A and 6B for GA-XXVI. Members of the IAU voted on the proposal on August 24, 2006 in Prague, Czech Republic, with the vote removing Pluto's status as a planet and reclassifying it as a dwarf planet. Of course, the IAU decision does not change Pluto's physical characteristics; Pluto has been small, distant, eccentric in orbit, and in close quarters with other spatial bodies throughout human history.

In its original form, the redefinition would have recognized three new planets: Ceres, Charon, and 2003 UB313, along with Pluto, as planets. It was presumed that, after more observation and discussion, astronomers would accept more objects in the solar system as meeting the new definition. On August 22, however, the original redefinition (which recognized twelve solar system planets, including Pluto), was dealt fatal blows in two open IAU meetings. Jay Pasachoff of Williams College, who attended both meetings, was quoted as saying, "I think that today can go down as 'the day we lost Pluto' ".

The final definition, as passed on 24 August 2006 [30][31], is:

2006 redefinition of planet
The IAU...resolves that planets and other bodies in our Solar System be defined into three distinct categories in the following way:

(1) A "planet" is a celestial body that: (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

(2) A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that: (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape [2], (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.

(3) All other objects except satellites orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar System Bodies".

Footnotes:

[1] The eight planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
[2] An IAU process will be established to assign borderline objects into either "dwarf planet" and other categories.
These currently include most of the Solar System asteroids, most Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), comets, and other small bodies.

The IAU further resolves:

Pluto is a "dwarf planet" by the above definition and is recognized as the prototype of a new category of trans-Neptunian objects.

I have attached some sources for your reference

Regards

Answer 6

yeah! i saw it on the news yesterday. but did you also know that there are also 3 other bodies past pluto that were going to be called planets and named "plutons"? thats what they said. they said that there is no real definition for "planet" sso they consider pluto a dwarf planet since it is so small compared to the rest.
so really there is supposed to be up to 12 planets in our solar system and now since pluto is gone all the textbooks and books in the world are going to need to be changed! =p


poor poor pluto and fellow plutons .......... lol

Answer 7

You can't feel bad, Pluto was not called a planet for thousands of years. So we called it a planet for 70, then changed our minds. So? Whats 70 out of thousands? It was probably hurt we changed its name! Who are we to come in and say, "Hey, now your Pluto!"

Answer 8

Poor Pluto!

Answer 9

Yeah poor thing!! Plus it was one of the few I actually remembered in school!! (thanks Mr. Disney!) I say let it stay a planet--now it's downgraded--just a wee dwarf planet (I'm wondering how P.C. that is), no longer in the big line up I had to memorize (told 'em there was no point in that!!)

Answer 10

It takes almost 250 years for Pluto to orbit the Sun once. We've only known about it at all for, what, a third of its orbit...

Sometimes, maybe, we get a little too caught up in our own drama.