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Rethinking the Planets
Popular Science ^
| January 2006 issue (I believe)
| Michael Stroh
Posted on 12/28/2005 2:36:18 PM PST by SunkenCiv
One leading proposal would define a planet as any object whose diameter exceeds 2,000 kilometers and that is round as a result of gravity, criteria that would encompass anything Pluto-size or larger, including Xena. But that doesn't sit well with some astronomers, who are irked that the scrawny iceball with the cockeyed orbit earned membership into the club in the first place. "Pluto is an impostor," says Harvard astronomer Brian Marsden, a member of the IAU committee. "The simplest thing is to get rid of it and say we've got eight."
(Excerpt) Read more at popsci.com ...
TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; kbo; planetx; pluto; sedna; xplanets
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Pluto is a planet.
1
posted on
12/28/2005 2:36:19 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
To: sourcery; FairOpinion; tricky_k_1972; KevinDavis; HOTTIEBOY
2
posted on
12/28/2005 2:36:51 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
To: SunkenCiv
Uncle Teddy is a planet. Can we get rid of him?
3
posted on
12/28/2005 2:39:23 PM PST
by
mtbopfuyn
(Legality does not dictate morality... Lavin)
4
posted on
12/28/2005 2:39:51 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
To: SunkenCiv
"The simplest thing is to get rid of it and say we've got eight." Hehe...I read this and imagined that he was advocating blasting out of space the iceball someone named Pluto that has been long miscategorized as a planet. KaBlam! Wait, maybe he does mean that...
5
posted on
12/28/2005 2:42:36 PM PST
by
Spiff
("They start yelling, 'Murderer!' 'Traitor!' They call me by name." - Gael Murphy, Code Pink leader)
To: SunkenCiv
1. The Planets Must Be Crazy? 2. So, if Pluto dies as a planet, who will write its Orbituary?
6
posted on
12/28/2005 3:08:22 PM PST
by
sourcery
(Either the Constitution trumps stare decisis, or else the Constitution is a dead letter.)
To: Spiff
From now on, everyone should ignore the distracting debates of the scientists, and planets in our solar system should be defined not by some attempt at forcing a scientific definition on a thousands-of-years-old cultural term, but by simply embracing culture. Pluto is a planet because culture says it is.
We are then left with two cultural choices. (1) Draw the line at Pluto and say there are no more planets; or (2) Draw the line at Pluto and say only things bigger are planets. Both would be culturally acceptable, but to me only the second makes sense. In addition, the second continues to allow the possibility that exploration will find a few more planets, which is a much more exciting prospect than that suggested by the first possibility. We don't think the number of planets found by the current generation of researchers will be large. Maybe one or two more. But we think that letting future generations still have a shot at planet-finding is nice.
Thus, we declare that the new object, with a size larger than Pluto, is indeed a planet. A cultural planet, a historical planet. I will not argue that it is a scientific planet, because there is no good scientific definition which fits our solar system and our culture, and I have decided to let culture win this one. We scientists can continue our debates, but I hope we are generally ignored. -- Michael Brown
7
posted on
12/28/2005 3:09:10 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
To: mtbopfuyn
Sure, just hand him a bottle of scotch and the car keys.
8
posted on
12/28/2005 3:09:44 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
To: sourcery
9
posted on
12/28/2005 3:10:03 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
To: SunkenCiv
Rethinking the PlanetsSeven movements aren't enough?
10
posted on
12/28/2005 3:11:20 PM PST
by
Professional Engineer
(Think you know all about the Civil War? Consider this, only one side wrote the history books.)
a reprise:
2003 EL 61
Michael Brown
2003 EL61 is one of the strangest known objects in the solar system. It is a big across as Pluto, but shaped like a cigar. Or perhaps like a football [American-style]. Or, most accurately, a foot ball that has too little air in it and has been stepped on. It spins on its axis every 4 hours like a football that has been kicked. It appears to be made almost entirely of rock, but with a glaze of ice over the surface. And it is surrounded by two satellites... Very soon 2003 EL61 will get a real name, much like Sedna and Quaoar and Orcus. But when first discovered these objects are only given 'preliminary designations' until they are confirmed and well know. There is little need of confirmation of 2003 EL61 as it has now been seen after the fact in images from more than 50 years ago! We will thus propose a name to the International Astronomical Union and that name will become the permanent -- and with luck more melodious -- name of 2003 EL61.
11
posted on
12/28/2005 3:13:46 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
12
posted on
12/28/2005 3:13:59 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
To: Professional Engineer
13
posted on
12/28/2005 3:14:34 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
To: r9etb
14
posted on
12/28/2005 3:28:08 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
To: vannrox
15
posted on
12/28/2005 3:34:57 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
To: RightWhale; Brett66; xrp; gdc314; sionnsar; anymouse; NonZeroSum; jimkress; discostu; The_Victor; ..
16
posted on
12/28/2005 3:42:17 PM PST
by
KevinDavis
(http://www.cafepress.com/spacefuture)
To: SunkenCiv
I propose the name- MNF2006
17
posted on
12/28/2005 3:54:21 PM PST
by
mikrofon
(** Click on image **)
To: BenLurkin
18
posted on
12/28/2005 4:01:44 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
To: SunkenCiv
...define a planet as any object whose diameter exceeds 2,000 kilometers and that is round as a result of gravity,... Realizing that science is an exercise in anal retentiveness, shouldn't that definition be "spherical?"
19
posted on
12/28/2005 4:40:22 PM PST
by
The_Victor
(If all I want is a warm feeling, I should just wet my pants.)
To: The_Victor
If it were about anal retentiveness, it has to refer to Uranus.
[long pause]
You realize, of course, that if I hadn't said it, someone else would have.
20
posted on
12/28/2005 4:50:53 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
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