54 replies to this topic

[Serious Sven]

Pluto is still a planet to me aswel, always changing the rules for the worst...

[Joli Garçon]

I'm glad they changed Pluto so it wasn't a planet, then said "Oh wait! No! It is a planet again!"
That was great
It really shows how creditable the science world is

[Empress Sabine]

I have no opinion on this, mostly because I don't care

[Kung-Fu Barbie]

well I think astronomy is a worth while subject of science

Pluto was demoted for its size, the fact that it's largest moon Charon is half it's size and because Pluto has a very odd orbit compared to other planets.
It never really fit in with the other planets, so instead scientists have decided to classify it as a dwarf planet

[Kaliratra]

Talk about trying to please both sides of the argument by taking the middle ground, hehe...

[Oh My It's Sky]

I don't see the point though in the reclassification
The average person has no concept in the differences between a regular planet and a dwarf planet, nor do they care.

[Godless-Liberal]

True.

[Guss]

mallowblaster, on Aug 26 2006, 07:22 PM, said:

Well, the new generations who are just entering school are going to start learning it differently now.  Soon all the people who had been taught for years that Pluto was a planet will be dead and the only ones left will know it's not.

Tada!  Problem solved.

And of course it all ties back to money.  Soon there will be new text books and reference charts and wall posters of the solar system that won't include Pluto on them.  Then of course people will be searching all over the internet and ebay to try and find these charts that do include the solar system with Pluto.  

People will then makes loads of money because they are now collectables and then we will have people like Garytron, in the year 2435 they will have 'tron' added to their names because they are part human and robot, who has a family heirloom of a solar system poster with all nine planets that he keeps in plastic wrap above the CocoaDispenser3000.  

He will tell his grandson Tylertron, "Your grand pappy has kept this in the family for years and it's going to be yours."  Of course the thing will only be worth 2 zeblerzurkulons.  Which will be the equivalent to $.83 cents in current US currency.

So if these science geeks don't understand what they are about to do to society as we know it... Who are we to stop them.  

Pull out your zeblerzurkulons guys.

That was very hilarious! But yes...close enough. And I do think It has to do with money too!

[Aras]

why does it matter if it's a planet or a dwarf planet?

[Robulosity]

Dwarf planets are less likley to fester the ability to extend our solar gravitational belt making it harder to probe for further planets with in our own solar system.

Its possible that Pluto was a throw off moon from one of the gas giants during one of the orginal planitary shifts of Uranus and Neptune. Its also possible Neptune was a result of a meteor that wandered out of the Kuiper Belt/Rift.  

The biggest reason why people are upset is planatoids (dwarf planets) technically do not support an atmosphere, while pluto does have one albeit frozen

[Stupendous Man]

I wouldn't say I'm upset about the whole ordeal.. really it doesn't effect my day to day life...

Shocking I know!

[Godless-Liberal]

It matters to me.  I was taught that it was a planet.  I still refer to it as a planet.

[Stupendous Man]

would you say the same if you were taught the world was flat?

[Godless-Liberal]

Stupendous Man, on Apr 21 2009, 06:13 PM, said:

would you say the same if you were taught the world was flat?

Of course not.  I simply mean that planet - planetoid - not a huge difference like saying the world is flat but enough for me to refuse to classify Pluto as a planetoid.

[Geo]

Well if they keep finding planetoid objects our solar system will have increast 10fold.. LOL

its hard to keep track of the changes that happen yearly..