What has happened to Pluto?
And I don’t mean the lovable dog belonging to Mickey Mouse.
How many people does it take to demolish a planet?
Only 424.
Turned to a dwarf
Pluto has been downgraded to the status of a dwarf planet and no longer counts as our ninth planet of the solar system.
This was decided on the last day of the International Astronomical Union in August 2006, late and after most of the delegates had left.
Alan Stern, leader of the NASA New Horizons Mission to Pluto, said: “Less than five per cent of the world’s astronomers voted. I’m embarrassed for astronomy.”
I am obliged to the Observer Book of Space, published with the Observer newspaper on 11 November 2007, for all this information, as well as for a piece on the 1974 Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence message sent from Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
This was, in brief, a numerical message which would form a picture explaining who we, human beings, are. It included a representation of our solar system.
With nine planets.
As it should be.
Let’s Get Together
Surely we can find more than 424 people who wish to BRING BACK PLUTO and reinstate it as a planet, returning it to the fold.
Join me in the quest by joining the Facebook Group, Bring Back Pluto.
My father, an American born in 1901, insisted that we four children learn the names of the planets from the sun outwards and he was only 29 when Pluto was discovered. He would tell us how exciting that discovery was. In his memory, I hope to re-instate our ninth planet to its full glory.
After all, in his lifetime he learned of the first flight at Kittyhawk and of the first discoverey Pluto and watched the first men walk on the Moon and even worked in the space industry himself. From horse and buggy, to space travel in one man’s lifetime. BRING BACK PLUTO to honour him and all those who have lived in that amazing 20th century.
- For those wishing to know, Pluto the Disney character was named after the planet on its discovery.
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9 users responded in this post
Apparently Pluto is also known as “134340″ – that just rolls off the tongue, a beautiful name.
wow, i had no idea about that! as far as i know our solar system is formed by 9 planets. where did you hear that angryoldwoman? well, now you know that in my country nobody talk about this important things!! how stupid don’t you think?
Luciana, try Googling Pluto and look at http://www.nineplanets.org/pluto.html
I learned about it in a newspaper booklet published yesterday.
Pluto still exists, it has just been down-graded and you can find out more also on New Horizon, the space probe to the farthest planet.
The argument in the “against Pluto” corner is that, were they to leave it as a planet, there are other “objects” that, too, would have to be classified as such, as they are more planet-like (planetatious? Planetified?) than Pluto, and hence, the 9 planets in the solar system dealy would be off in any case.
Things change, the universe moves on, surely this is just a semantic argument?
Just my two cents.
Well, I would be happy, Jonny, to have some more than the nine, if it were appropriate.
It is just my instinct to find it appalling that such a minority (424) of astronomers can vote out 75 (known) years of planethood of Pluto without reference to the rest of their peers (by voting when most had gone home) or, albeit unlikely, to all of us non-astronomers.
And when I read that the doctor in charge of New Horizons was upset at the “loss” of Pluto, well I felt it was a suitable Shitopedia topic.
Join us, help us bring back Pluto!
Pluto rocks… Apologies, couldn’t resist it.
The problem is that it doesn’t actually meet the (self imposed) criteria of the tefal-headed boffins. I still think it’s a planet though, stuff them!
Great news, troops. Now 50 have joined – we need more. Look at the Facebook group and recruit more Plutofans immediately. Rescue the abandoned planet… keep the Nine! meet me on Facebook and join now….
You will be delighted, as am I, that we now number 63 just before the turn of the year. Let’s keep it up in 2008 – And remember, Pluto Rocks!
See the new postings on Facebook group Bring Back Pluto… about the new tenth planet, about the black holes, see and join us now. More than 76 people felt it right to do so. And there are more than a million on another group – we’ll win, we will.
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