To give us a break from the daily grind…
Since the demotion of Pluto, I never took the time to research why it happened, until now. (Dwarf or not, little Pluto will always make my list!)
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Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Is Preperation H effective on assteroids?
Very informative. But….Pluto will always be a planet to me! :)
Is it politically correct to refer to Pluto as a ‘dwarf’?
Which one of the seven dwarves/dwarfs does Plutor represesent?
Then, tangentially, you get into the whole race thing when you mention Snow WHITE. [Did she actually have a middle name?]
Three cheers for Pluto!
Yor Bro Ken – Too funny!
Pluto is still a planet, as dwarf planets are planets too in spite of the controversial decree by four percent of the International Astronomical Union.
Only four percent of the IAU voted on the controversial demotion, and most are not planetary scientists. Their decision was immediately opposed in a formal petition by hundreds of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto. One reason the IAU definition makes no sense is it says dwarf planets are not planets at all! That is like saying a grizzly bear is not a bear, and it is inconsistent with the use of the term “dwarf” in astronomy, where dwarf stars are still stars, and dwarf galaxies are still galaxies. Also, the IAU definition classifies objects solely by where they are while ignoring what they are. If Earth were in Pluto’s orbit, according to the IAU definition, it would not be a planet either. A definition that takes the same object and makes it a planet in one location and not a planet in another is essentially useless. Pluto is a planet because it is spherical, meaning it is large enough to be pulled into a round shape by its own gravity–a state known as hydrostatic equilibrium and characteristic of planets, not of shapeless asteroids held together by chemical bonds. These reasons are why many astronomers, lay people, and educators are either ignoring the demotion entirely or working to get it overturned.