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Distant world tops Pluto for size

OXO

By OXO
in The Astro Lounge

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Naz

Naz

Posted
Posted

It opens up the debate on what is a planet! After all the origional meaning was "wanderer", s there fore all objects within the solar system apart from the sun should be planets, including asteroids / satelites / comets etc. after all they wander against the back drop of the stars.

nabban

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The Warthog

The Warthog

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Actually, I think Pluto should be a planet, and the new object, which I have tentatively named Goofy. I also think the Moon should be reclassified as a planet, and the Earth-Moon system as a double planet. After all, the flying saucer men on Mars probably call us a double planet. The moon, after all, is bigger than Pluto, almost as big as Mercury, and a significant proportion of the mass of its sister planet. That last point is why I wouldn't reclassify Titan, Callisto, and the rest.

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Astroman

Astroman

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Scientists have not decided Pluto is not a planet. As far as the IAU is concerned, Pluto is and shall remain classified as a planet. It is some folks in the community, most notably Brian Marsden, the main comet investigator at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for

Astrophysics in Cambridge Mass that thinks it should be demoted. He feels, and I don't really blame him, though I disagree, that Pluto is being identified by every Tom, [removed word] and Harry with a telescope as a comet or new asteroid, and he's sick of it.

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GazOC

GazOC

Posted
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Can someone tell me again, why scientists have decided Pluto is not a planet??

I can see it getting demoted sooner or later (probably later), it's becomming very apperent as we discover more Pluto-like bodies that its a large Kuiper object. The more of these objects that are discovered if we to be consistant we either need to call them all planets or call them Kuiper objects and include Pluto with them.

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GazOC

GazOC

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It fits more than anything else at that distance.... :lol:

And Although I'm not a big fan of calling it a planet.

The equation is how the last 4 planets were discovered.

4?

Neptune and Uranus were discovered and happened to for the "equation" they wern't discovered because of the equation and they just got lucky with Pluto....

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GazOC

GazOC

Posted
Posted

Damien/Caz

It's called http://www.answers.com/topic/titius-bode-law.

But the new planet was supposed to be much more massive, they figured the position based on gravitational effects on Neptune/Uranus. When Pluto turned up in that position they just got lucky.

How can that equation give a place where the planet should be? All it can give (even if it is true) is a mean orbital distance....I don't see how it can give a position in space???

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Astroman

Astroman

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If discovered today, I'm sure Pluto wouldn't be classified as a planet. But it wasn't, it was discovered in 1930, so the question is moot. The IAU has settled this question. Why keep dragging it up? They won't demote it, so Marsden et al will just have to deal with it as a planet.

Last time I was at Lowell, I decided to go on the tour, just for kicks, and mostly to hassle the guide whom I knew to be a Pluto non-planet-advocate. It was fun really, back and forth between us in front of tourists. :lol: They must have thought we'd come to blows, but since we knew each other, it remained civil. I bet they don't soon forget the tour, though! :shock: :(

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OXO

OXO

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It was fun really, back and forth between us in front of tourists. They must have thought we'd come to blows, but since we knew each other, it remained civil. I bet they don't soon forget the tour, though!
Classic!

Pluto is a planet IMHO.. as is Mercury there the objects in our solar system which have been named a planet for so long why change it? Can't imagine calling them anything else when asked...

James :lol:

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Sonia

Sonia

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what about Mercury? It also is very small, about 4,900 km, rocky and airless. Is it a planet, or just a hot rock close to the Sun?

But Mercury is 'nt so obviously something else. Pluto is obviously a Kuiper object.

Scientists think that pluto is from the kuiper belt.

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  • 1 year later...
laurele

laurele

Posted
Posted

what about Mercury? It also is very small, about 4,900 km, rocky and airless. Is it a planet, or just a hot rock close to the Sun?

But Mercury is 'nt so obviously something else. Pluto is obviously a Kuiper object.

Scientists think that pluto is from the kuiper belt.

There is no reason an object cannot be both a Kuiper Belt Object and a planet. Pluto, Eris, and all the other KBOs that have attained hydrostatic equilibrium would fall into both categories.

I don't have kids, but I am making sure to teach my nephews (ages four and one) that Pluto is definitely a planet.

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