Did anyone else lose sleep knowing that pluto was downgraded from being a planet?

Answer 1

http://www.iau.org/fileadmin/content/pdfs/Resolution_GA26-5-6.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto

pluto is not a planet, but pluto orbits the sun, is round, does not have an isolated orbit (a bunch of other similar bodies have similar orbits.), and is not a satellite so it is a dwarf planet. this does not change anything about the solar system or pluto. it just corrects the mistake of classifying pluto as a planet initially.

this same thing has happened before. beginning in 1800, astronomers found a few bodies orbiting between the orbits of mars and jupiter, and they finally stopped calling them planets after the fourth discovery. astronomers then added numerals to the names, and pluto recently got its numeral. 150 years from now, no one will think of "134340 pluto" as a planet. very few will even know we classified it as a planet. "1 ceres" and "136199 eris" are other dwarf planets.

i have been waiting for this since i was about twelve. i feel somewhat satisfied. i knew that pluto didn't fit the pattern set by the major bodies in the solar system so it was an anomaly. it just felt illogical and "out of place". this was the right thing to do, believe me. i don't understand why so many are having such a problem with this.

i don't know how long this will drag on tho. many planetary scientists are not satisfied that the definition is rigorous enough.

Answer 2

Much to my surprise, the International Astronomical Union has indeed voted on a resolution that defines exactly what a planet is and Pluto no longer qualifies. This means that Pluto is indeed not a planet any more and that our solar system no longer has the nine planets I learned about as a kid, but only eight!

Don't worry, though, Pluto is now to be known as a dwarf planet, so it's not been completely ejected from our solar system, just relabeled. The eight planets in our solar system are now, in order from the Sun outwards, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

As The Planetary Society explains, "a “planet” is now defined as 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 neighborhood around its orbit."

"A dwarf planet, according to the new definition, 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, (c) has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite."

Got it?

There are now three dwarf planets in our solar system, so Pluto isn't alone. It's joined by the asteroids Ceres and Xena (aka UB313), though more than a dozen are on the IAU's dwarf planet watch list, if you can believe it.

One key reason that Pluto has been given the boot is because its orbit is not in the same ecliptic plane as the rest of the planets and isn't circular as are the planets, but is rather "eccentric". Indeed, at certain points in its orbit, Pluto is actually closer to the sun than Neptune.

Answer 3

Even if you keep Pluto as a planet , text books will still have to be changed, because other Pluto-like objects ( like Xena, since given a formal name) will have to be counted in.The key point is this. Earlier Pluto was a unique object; now we know it belongs to a class. Instead of being a joker in the club of planets, Pluto is now a respectable member of its own social class.

Answer 4

Las Veags odds:
Pluto has a 33% change of becoming a planet in the year 2020 when Pluto's orbit is closer to the sun than Neptunes orbit will be.

Chew orbitz for a sparkling smile

Answer 5

No, but was I ever upset! I drove to my Mom's house and went down to the basement to find my 5th grade science project which was a replica of the Solar System. Mom saves everything you know. I had used foam balls, paper maché, lots of spray paint (I think I even huffed a little of the gold), wire clothes hangers, model airplane glue (the good stuff), pieces of my erection, I mean erector set, you name it.... So I ripped poor little Pluto off the thing, found some old firecrackers that my Mom had saved for me too and blew that sh*tty little dwarf planet to smithereens! I mean who cares if Pluto didn't meet the following criteria:
1) It is below the limiting mass for thermonuclear fusion of deuterium.
2) Its mass is above the minimum for an object to be considered a planet in our solar system.
3) If it is in orbit around a star or stellar remnant -
(a) it has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape; and
(b) if in our solar system it has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.
4) It is not a free-floating object in a young star cluster.
All I know is that I'm questioning my entire educational experience now. I mean what's next: Are the words in the dictionary really "words"? Does the definition of the word "Dictionary" satisfy a bunch of pimple faced, pocket protector wearing geeky scientists, or do we change the criteria for that too? Mommy! Help me.......

Answer 6

Not really, but heck, in another 30 years they will revert back to it is a planet, after all science is not an exact theory. Theory is all they are. LOOK at what they came out and said about DDT, now it is safe to use after banning it, because of the great god of environmentalism, for the past 20 years. Why they found out it is safe for food, animals, humans, and it will save lives, 10 of millions of people where left to die from malaria because the god of environmentalism said no no. Everything reverts back to the basics.

Answer 7

Actually I fell asleep while reading the story. The definition of "planet" is completely arbitrary. Much ado about nothing. But I guess pointy-headed academics have to do something to validate their jobs and their existence.

So much of science (especially regarding the past) is nothing more than mental masturbation.

Answer 8

there are a number of objects as big or bigger than pluto that would fit the discription of a planet

Answer 9

no i been sleeping good,but i guess that's some sad sh#it 4 Pluto

Answer 10

Not lost sleep but still I was extremely pi$$ed off with the Astronomical Union!!!