Pluto status suffers another blow (Pluto Gets "plutoed" again!)

BBC News ^ | 06/15/07 | BBC News

[I still care]

What are all the astrologers going to do? They draw up horoscopes using nine planets. Supposedly it rules Scorpio and the Eighth House. Sort of throws a wrench in things, doesn’t it?

[Salamander]

All hail Discordia! ping.

Salcalypse the Younger

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

Science has never stopped astrology. Even wonder why the paper lists the horrorscope on the cartoon page? Even they get it. :o)

[SunkenCiv]

Intercourse the small number of the International Astronomical Union's members who voted in favor of this. It didn't clarify anything, because it was a political act.

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[SunkenCiv]

"To Pluto And Far Beyond" By David H. Levy, Parade, January 15, 2006 -- We don't have a dictionary definition yet that includes all the contingencies. In the wake of the new discovery, however, the International Astronomical Union has set up a group to develop a workable definition of planet. For our part, in consultation with several experienced planetary astronomers, Parade offers this definition: A planet is a body large enough that, when it formed, it condensed under its own gravity to be shaped like a sphere. It orbits a star directly and is not a moon of another planet.

[theFIRMbss]

>People actually get paid to argue about this

It is one of those
corporate conspiracies to
sell more of these things!

[kallisti]

Holy chao.

[MirrorField]

One of the interesting points of Scientific Worldview is the ability to discard viewpoints that were previously thought of as The Truth(tm).

There is no absolute Truth. There is only evidence, hypotheses drawn from them and Theories refined from hypotheses.

But even most longstanding theories are vulnerable to criticism, especially when confronted with new evidence.

This is not an admission of knowing nothing. This is an admission of fallibility. Scientist knows that his/her views may be incomplete. He/She knows that there is a possibility that he/she may be mistaken. He/she knows only that this particular theory is one that accounts for the facts and data available.

Infallibility is a tricky proposition. It takes only one counterexample to be proven wrong. In this case a true scientist admits that he/she was mistaken and starts rebuilding his hypotheses, not from the ground up but from the evidence available.

It is not shameful to be mistaken. It is shameful to discard evidence, refuse to face the facts and to draw proper conclusions from available facts.

Pluto was categorized as planet by coincidence, as someone gathering facts "lucked out" and discovered it. It got classified as "planet" before larger celestial bodies orbiting on similar orbits were found? These things happen.

We got new data? Then, let's evaluate anew what we think we know about solar system...

"Face the Facts. Face the facts. Then act on them. It's the only mantra I know, the only doctrine I have to offer you, and it's harder than you'd think, because I swear humans seem hardwired to do anything but. Face the facts. Don't pray, don't wish, don't buy into centuries-old dogma and dead rethoric. Don't give in to your conditioning or your visions ou your fucked-up sense of...whathever. Face the facts. Then act." --Quellcrist Falconer

[BipolarBob]

I have no problem re-classifying a planet. Nothing to me really. And I appreciate your candidness on your take on truth and how you solve problems. I support your rights to free will and choose whatever path you choose for philosophy. And I applaud tolerance of others with differing opinions. I am a Christian and I do believe in The God of Abraham. I believe He is The Creator of the universe. More than likely we will go to our graves set in our philosophies. I expect to be resurrected in a more eternal body than the one I presently occupy. I’m not sure what hope you expect beyond the grave.

[Seruzawa]

Ha! They’ll never get me. I already have a Celestron 8”. Nyah ha ha!

[Sacajaweau]

I have Ceres shown as a planet in a geography book dated about 1880. There are a couple of more. I’ll look them up. So are we going “backwards”. Scientists can be a little nutso...but they usually have something called “give me bucks” and I’ll keep on searching.

[Billthedrill]

Pluto replies.

[Sacajaweau]

Needs more protein!! Look how far he has to go to get around the sun!! Poor Pluto...

[csvset]

Should plutonium be renamed dwarfonium? /s

[theFIRMbss]

>Ha! They’ll never get me. I already have a Celestron 8”

Isn't that the scope
the Heaven's Gate cultists bought
to see the "space ship"

next to the Hale-Bopp?
(And they returned it because
they saw no space ship!)

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

That is a funny shirt.

[shibumi]

That’s SACRED Chao to you, fella.

And by the way, it’s about to Mu.

[NYFreeper]

He is very upset about this.....

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

What movie was that?

[theFIRMbss]

>What movie was that?