2006-09-14 16:12:28 · 9 answers · asked by joseph d 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
That there are canals on Mars.
That Mercury's "year" and "day" are both 88 days long.
That the Earth is the centre of the Universe and that the Sun rotates around it
That combustion imvolves the release of a substance called phlogiston
That the soul is located in the pineal gland.
That the earth was created at nightfall preceding 23 October, 4004 BC.
2006-09-14 16:18:55 · answer #1 · answered by Mint_Julip 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Pluto, the last planet to join the heavenly pantheon, became the first to leave it. The status of Pluto had been under discussion for some time, but with the discovery of 2003 UB313, nicknamed Xena, the question became acute, for it seemingly had as much right as Pluto to be called a planet.
On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union surprised the world by voting in a new definition of planet, one that would exclude Pluto and bring the total number down to eight. (There had previously been been strong speculation that the redefinition would bring the total up to 12 instead of down.)
Pluto was instead classified as a dwarf planet, along with Ceres and the aforementioned Xena. The main difference between a dwarf planet and the real thing is that the dwarf variety has not cleared the area of its orbital path.
This redefinition met with a wave of protests from those who wanted to see the ninth planet grandfathered in, including but not limited to supporters of the late Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930. His widow, however, said he would have been accepting of the IAU's decision since "he was a scientist" and understood that astronomers had to take into account newly discovered objects in the Kuiper Belt (where Pluto is located).
But opponents of Pluto's demotion remain unconsoled and have generated a thriving industry in T-shirts, mugs and other memorabilia. Among the many slogans of this movement was one which played on the mnemonic for the names of the erstwhile nine:
2006-09-18 02:45:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are a lot of errors in science books. Hopefully you are not just absorbing junk for a trivial game, but actually being prompted to think in both a creative and systematic way. Getting a sense when somthing "aint quite right" and the skills to check for yourself.
2006-09-14 16:57:53 · answer #3 · answered by NoPoaching 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In the overall scheme of things? Probably everything. We're having a hard time figuring out what things are and how they work.
Ever told that nothing could live in a volcano? Well, they've found life in them.
2006-09-14 16:26:19 · answer #4 · answered by Janar_45th 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't know how many 'facts' have been proven wrong, but it seems a little wrong to demote Pluto to a dwarf planet.
2006-09-14 16:20:11 · answer #5 · answered by pjt 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Wrong is wrong. It's not that what you learned is wrong, it's that science is ever changing, the more information we gather, the more we know, the better we understand the universe and our planet.
PLUTO IS STILL OUT THERE PEOPLE, no one took it away.
2006-09-14 18:30:41 · answer #6 · answered by biggie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is now known that domestic dogs are the same species as wolves. And there are actually more than two species of elephants. Yay genetics!!
2006-09-17 19:44:17 · answer #7 · answered by TrickMeNicely 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is Life on Europa!!! Moon of Jupiter!
2006-09-14 16:21:37 · answer #8 · answered by Snaglefritz 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are not wrong. It is interpretations.
2006-09-14 16:20:14 · answer #9 · answered by worldneverchanges 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋