Pluto's Brave New Worlds (Astronomers' Org. Proposal: There Are Now At Least 12 Planets)

Washington Post ^ | 8/16/2006 | Dava Sobel

[Pyro7480]

Dava Sobel, author of "Longitude," "Galileo's Daughter," and "The Planets," served as the sole non-scientist on the Planet Definition Committee.

Ok, if the IAU approves the panel's recommendation it's now:

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto-Charon, and "Xena"

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Followed by "Gabrielle?" : )

[Pyro7480]

Ping!!!

[LdSentinal]

Uranus should be changed back to Urectum.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

There should be only eight planets, ending at Neptune.

As for your list of planets, the Moon would also be one.

[JustDoItAlways]

You either count all "round bodies" or take Pluto off the list.

Pluto probably should come off the list because it is just a Kuiper Belt object like most of the comets etc. However, the astronomy field would just face 1,000s of disappointed letters from kids if Pluto was taken off the list.

[Pyro7480]

As for your list of planets, the Moon would also be one.

You're not the only one who thinks that way. There are a number of astronomers who think that way. As for your above observation, it isn't the case. As Ms. Sobel states,

A planet is a body in orbit around a star (as opposed to orbiting another planet)

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

And all of the planets' (the eight of them) moons, except for Mars', and some of the gas giants' smaller satellites.

[Pyro7480]

If the IAU approves the committee's recommendation, Pluto, Charon, and "Xena" would be among the new group of planets: the "plutons." So you have inner terrestrial planets, the outer gas giants, and the "plutons."

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Scratch comment 8, then. As for the Moon, does it actual revolve around the Earth?

On another thread, some freepers were stating that the Moon doesn't.

[SunkenCiv]

Heh... thanks! Excellent! I've been spending my precious on the clock minutes replying over in the oldie topic. ;')

[Pyro7480]

Huh? What was your point?

[Pyro7480]

I thought an article written by an actual committee member would be ideal (not to mention the fact that she is an excellent writer). She doesn't mention the Charon issue however, which the other articles on Google News do.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

For comment eight, there were more moons, which revolve around planets.

The other part was a question of whether the Moon revolves around Earth or not. Some freepers were stating the latter.

[Pyro7480]

On another thread, some freepers were stating that the Moon doesn't.

Those Freepers are wrong. The barycenter of the Earth-Luna system is inside the Earth, so it's not a double-planet.

[orionblamblam]

Yes. "Xena" has a moon, and "Gabby" is the current nickname.

[SunkenCiv]

The Moon orbits the Earth. The Moon also spends part of its time slightly outside the Earth's sphere of influence, if memory serves. Its mass is about one per cent that of the Earth, and shows the same face to the Earth (probably) because of tidal transfer of its momentum to the Earth. Bodies in prograde orbits (orbits heading the same direction as the rotation of the parent body) gain altitude as the parent loses rotational momentum. Same goes for the other direction, which is why the Moon is in resonance.

[thoughtomator]

One Pluto specialist asked pointedly, "Is a dachshund not a dog?"

No, it's a meal.

[Pyro7480]

"Xena" and "Gabrielle"

[SunkenCiv]

X-Planets ping!