There are eight planets in the solar system

[ciphergoth]

Pluto voted out of the planet club

Comments

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Hurrah!

[drdoug.livejournal.com]

Right result, wrong reasons if you ask me. A planet is now "a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.".

So in the (admittedly unlikely) event that we discover, say, a twin Jupiter-Saturn size pair in orbit, they wouldn't count as planets. Nonsense. And if you apply criterion (c) rigorously, Neptune isn't a planet either since it hasn't cleared Pluto-Charon. Except a footnote to the resolution after "planet" says "The eight planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.", so it is a planet by fiat of the IAU even if you might reasonably argue it doesn't meet their criteria.

A complete mess, if you ask me.

I note, at least that the potential debate over whether celestial bodies which have not cleared their orbits should be dwarfs or dwarves has been avoided by dubbing them "dwarf planets".*

* The seven dwarf planets are: Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy, Bashful, Sleepy and Dopey.

[wriggler.livejournal.com]

Could it be argued that the International Astronomical Union is a Mickey Mouse organisation?

[the-maenad.livejournal.com]

It was unclear how Pluto's demotion might affect the mission of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which earlier this year began a 961/27-year journey to the oddball object to unearth more of its secrets.

I love that 'it was unclear'. What do they think they're going to do with it, push the self-destruct button now Pluto's been reclassified?

[fizzyboot.livejournal.com]

Bastards! Pluto is still a planet, whether they say so or not. So is Ceres for that matter.

[babysimon]

From TFA:
Pluto is automatically disqualified because its oblong orbit overlaps with Neptune's.

Wow! It may not be a planet but I'm sure impressed.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

I found this quite dishearteningly hierarchical. Bloody scientists, what do they think they're doing going round DEFINING things, it's a disgrace, back in my day we had our planets and we knew what they were and we were grateful for them, grumble grumble grumble...

[purplerabbits.livejournal.com]

:'-(

[pavlos.livejournal.com]

Way to go IAU, get rid of some clutter!

[emarkienna.livejournal.com]

I like to think of it as that we haven't lost a planet, but gained three dwarf planets.

[simm42.livejournal.com]

I'm sure holst feels vindicated now :)

Once more with spelling

[webcowgirl.livejournal.com]

Saw this icon and it made me think of you: