8.28.2006

The fall of Pluto

No, I'm not talking about the Disney mutt, I'm talking about the ninth planet in our solar system. The International Astronomical Union recently held an international convention to define, among other things, what makes a planet a planet.

So why did Pluto get demoted to it's new title of 'dwarf planet'?? (Isn't this going to piss off some of our wee little dwarf people??) Well, it's orbit is not on the same elliptic as the rest of the planets, it's orbit crosses Neptune's orbit, and it's smaller than some of the objects in the Kuiper belt.

I understand the need to have a common definition of what qualifies a heavenly object as a planet, but should we accept what a bunch of scientists tell us just because they want to create a definition? I grew up believing...no, knowing... that Pluto is a planet and I'm not ready to give up that belief yet just because some scientists decided to change their minds.

Viva la Pluto!

2 Comments:

Blogger Los said...

Maybe Pluto should've been grandfathered in?

So, does this mean that Pluto is also not considered a Disney cartoon character anymore?

8:46 AM  
Blogger Ink and Stone said...

What do ya mean 'grandfathered in'??

And no, the Disney mutt can stay the Disney mutt.

12:44 PM  

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