General Discussion

dixiegrrrrl

(60,161 posts) Wed Dec 24, 2014, 02:33 PM Dec 2014

Pluto is a planet again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [View all]

Oh Pluto, we have missed you. You have been treated so callously.
But , now....welcome back!

Just goes to show you how capricious all that science stuff can be...

The debate renewed in October over the fate of the once-planet Pluto.

Pluto, which was discovered in 1930 by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, was demoted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to dwarf planet status in 2006. The IAU now considers the solar system to consist of eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics held a debate in September about whether Pluto should be a planet. Voters listened to three scientists who presented various views in a debate and decided that Pluto is indeed a planet.

For the record, the IAU still lists Pluto as a dwarf planet.

Five Science Breakthroughs in 2014
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/five-science-breakthroughs-2014/39348591

The dwarf planet Pluto is recognised as an important prototype of a new class of Trans-Neptunian Objects. The IAU has put given a new denomination for these objects: plutoids.
http://www.iau.org/public/themes/pluto/

122 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Pluto is a planet again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [View all] dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 OP

Yay! NV Whino Dec 2014 #1

H.P. Lovecraft wasn't that thrilled with it starroute Dec 2014 #21

Merry Christmas to you too!!! Spitfire of ATJ Dec 2014 #40

Oh, blow it out Uranus! pinboy3niner Dec 2014 #2

Now thats seriously funny! My vote for post of the day..... Rowdyboy Dec 2014 #79

sorry, no it isn't - 'Pluto...recognised as of a new class of Trans-Neptunian Objects' Baclava Dec 2014 #3

Yes it is. dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #31

I'm not gonna be the one to tell you Santa isn't real Baclava Dec 2014 #38

Waaaaaaaaaaa!!! dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #42

there, there......how about a nice sugar plum Baclava Dec 2014 #46

Hic......well, ok......sniffle..... dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #51

Santa isn't real? Katashi_itto Dec 2014 #76

shhhhh...He knows if you're awake Baclava Dec 2014 #105

Yes, we should call it a "little planet" not a dwarf. nt brush Dec 2014 #109

Oh, we wanted to name the planets, and now we've named them all... 1monster Dec 2014 #45

Yeah, if Pluto is a full-fledged planet, then what do we call the larger Eris? nomorenomore08 Dec 2014 #93

Perhaps the definition of planet can be extended to have an "honorary" category. n/t Silent3 Dec 2014 #4

My very easy method just speeds up naming planets Brother Buzz Dec 2014 #5

"Mary's violet eyes make Jack stay up nights perhaps." CTyankee Dec 2014 #7

My Very Elegant Mother Just Sat Upon Nine Porcupines ThoughtCriminal Dec 2014 #10

My very eager mother just served us nine pizzas tabasco Dec 2014 #89

Mother Very Easily Made A Jam Sandwich Using No Peanuts, Mayonnaise or Glue Fozzledick Dec 2014 #100

That's good! Brother Buzz Dec 2014 #112

My dog has fleas Brother Buzz Dec 2014 #14

"perhaps not." n/t eggplant Dec 2014 #17

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles. n/t ColesCountyDem Dec 2014 #53

That's the one I learned. nt Tree-Hugger Dec 2014 #113

I learned this in fifth grade: LiberalElite Dec 2014 #56

My subject line was a mnemonic and nobody picked up on it Brother Buzz Dec 2014 #62

Too cleverly disguised LiberalElite Dec 2014 #69

drats, you are correct..I missed it too. Very clever of you. dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #71

I'm holding out for a fruitcake Brother Buzz Dec 2014 #73

Uhh, no hugo_from_TN Dec 2014 #6

DWARFS ARE PLANETS TOO DAMMIT!!! JaneyVee Dec 2014 #11

Of course I read it...... dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #34

A dwarf planet is not a planet Reter Dec 2014 #85

not really, it just doesn't, measure up.. snooper2 Dec 2014 #8

Seems appropriate. hifiguy Dec 2014 #9

Apropos of nothing... Je me souviens Dec 2014 #28

"Number 9, number 9..." nomorenomore08 Dec 2014 #95

FNORD!! hifiguy Dec 2014 #97

Yay, Pluto! KansDem Dec 2014 #12

Oh thank god, you get it.... dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #35

Back in my day we had 9 planets! GummyBearz Dec 2014 #13

We're ancient pinboy3niner Dec 2014 #16

Yeah....and watch out for this planet erasing guy.....he is too clever by half. dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #54

You mean to tell me . . . Brigid Dec 2014 #57

Actually, yes.... dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #58

Hee hee. Brigid Dec 2014 #94

GummyBearz Diclotican Dec 2014 #55

That's Mister Pluto to you! Tierra_y_Libertad Dec 2014 #15

Like Porky Pig, Pluto is rogerashton Dec 2014 #18

Well played..... dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #36

Pluto will always be a planet in my eyes. baldguy Dec 2014 #19

HTH.... Spitfire of ATJ Dec 2014 #33

LOL!!!!!!!! dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #37

NO HE IS NOT! He's a character in Animal House! ChairmanAgnostic Dec 2014 #20

I thought that was Bluto? csziggy Dec 2014 #64

Same size AND shape. ChairmanAgnostic Dec 2014 #74

That's Senator Blutarsky! Kennah Dec 2014 #107

Not yet, if in our lifetimes or ever Android3.14 Dec 2014 #22

I hate to dampen the celebration but... jimlup Dec 2014 #23

Some of us never stopped believing in you, Pluto. n/t. jtuck004 Dec 2014 #24

They are forming a POG right now ...Plutocratic Oligarch Group. L0oniX Dec 2014 #115

I don't care if it just puts out hot air, I'm gonna defend it to the end. jtuck004 Dec 2014 #122

Ruh Roh... WillyT Dec 2014 #25

I'm sorry, calling Pluto a major planet is just stupid. Odin2005 Dec 2014 #26

Who calls it a major planet????? dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #39

It is the very model of a modern major plantetoid! Kennah Dec 2014 #106

I see what you did there.... dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #108

Does size matter or does size not matter? chknltl Dec 2014 #27

It's less the size and more about orbit clearing AND the fact that if we call MillennialDem Dec 2014 #61

They prefer to be called Little Planets. bluesbassman Dec 2014 #29

I think they should be called Petite Planets - it's more alliterative csziggy Dec 2014 #68

Much better than the phrase they came up with: plutoid. dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #72

Not to mention it's Pluto centric view of the universe Kennah Dec 2014 #104

He'll always be a dog to me. nt valerief Dec 2014 #30

There are LOTS of dwarf planets in the solar system... Spitfire of ATJ Dec 2014 #32

I think it should have never been changed being that it was such a big part of astronomical history. BlueJazz Dec 2014 #41

What a wonderfull holiday gift! Hubert Flottz Dec 2014 #43

Merry Christmas! dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #44

There is a Zen parable for that eridani Dec 2014 #49

Schr�dinger's planet, then. dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #52

a rocky body formed wih this solar system wouldnt be out past the gas giants belzabubba333 Dec 2014 #47

This was argued here a while back. Igel Dec 2014 #48

Oh yeah! Well the scientists said I was wrong about the tomato rock Dec 2014 #50

For many of us it never changed. Finally, the rest of you guys are catching up! Rowdyboy Dec 2014 #59

Why don't we call all of these (and 10,000 others) planets? MillennialDem Dec 2014 #66

You know...maybe we should. Xolodno Dec 2014 #70

Because thats not what my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. McBride, said in 1966.... Rowdyboy Dec 2014 #78

I had 6th grade in 1992 and MVEMJSUNP was drilled into my head too - but you really MillennialDem Dec 2014 #80

Misleading Headline Ryan Fitzomething Dec 2014 #60

It's not a planet unless Ceres, Eris, and Sedna are also planets. MillennialDem Dec 2014 #63

so what about Goofy ? olddots Dec 2014 #65

The IAU opinion is all that matters. longship Dec 2014 #67

Why is this so important to people? Maedhros Dec 2014 #75

We want you to vote Plutocratic anyway. L0oniX Dec 2014 #116

Pluto was voted out MFM008 Dec 2014 #77

It never stopped being a Planet for me.. glad they're catching up. :) Cha Dec 2014 #81

I've always been struck by how worked up people get over this (nt) Posteritatis Dec 2014 #82

I hate neat little boxes..... paleotn Dec 2014 #83

For Astrologers... sendero Dec 2014 #84

I liked when a few of them tried suing the IAU or NASA(?!) over the redefinition.. Posteritatis Dec 2014 #92

I thought Pluto was a dog in Walt Disney cartoons. B Calm Dec 2014 #86

Pluto is a breath mint! First Speaker Dec 2014 #87

I met Dr. Tombaugh at New Mexico State University tabasco Dec 2014 #88

Those first discoverer's get all the headlines dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #90

Sorry, but fuck you, Pluto. You're not big enough to be a planet. Bucky Dec 2014 #91

Stop picking on him! dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #101

New Horizons will tell us a lot in July. roamer65 Dec 2014 #96

This was in my understanding the status quo. The "demotion" was to this type of object from planet. TheKentuckian Dec 2014 #98

Poor Pluto, they always pick on him shenmue Dec 2014 #99

Couldn't Goofy be a planet too? LiberalEsto Dec 2014 #102

Number 9� number 9�. number 9� number 9�. MrMickeysMom Dec 2014 #103

Exactly!!!! dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #110

And, to you, too, dixiegrrrrl! MrMickeysMom Dec 2014 #120

It was never a planet by any self-consistent and meaningful standard. True Blue Door Dec 2014 #111

I hear they have a Plutocracy form of government there ...just like we do. L0oniX Dec 2014 #114

I'm so happy! ladyVet Dec 2014 #117

Can't afford a planet of your own? Hubert Flottz Dec 2014 #118

Scorpios get half of their glory back! Quantess Dec 2014 #119

Exactly!!!! dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #121