We Only Have 8 Planets In Our Solar System Now (Pluto Removed)

[The Last Conformist]

Note that ejection from the area is not the only possible outcome, there is the possibility of developing a special relationship with the planet. The most common becoming satelites, Trojans, or developeing an Orbital resonance.

Heh. Next time someone mentions the UK's "special relationship" with the US, I'll have to ask if it's a satellite, a trojan, or in a resonant orbit.

 

[Perfection]

Heh. Next time someone mentions the UK's "special relationship" with the US, I'll have to ask if it's a satellite, a trojan, or in a resonant orbit.

I was wondering if anyone would catch that. Good eye, TLC!

 

[Tee Kay]

Heh. Next time someone mentions the UK's "special relationship" with the US, I'll have to ask if it's a satellite, a trojan, or in a resonant orbit.

Trojan

10 char

 

[Perfection]

Trojan

10 char

Leading or trailing?

 

[mdwh]

So planets are sorted - what do people think of moons?

Interestingly, there doesn't appear to be a specific definition of "moon" except for being a synonym of any natural satellite of a planet (unless someone knows better?). Wikipedia lists a whopping 63 moons of Jupiter ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter's_natural_satellites ), including ones only 1 km across, so it seems there is no boundary where something is no longer considered a moon. In a similar parallel to the discovery of Kuiper Belt Objects, recent technology has also caused the discovery of Jupiter moons to rapidly increase recently (45 moons have been discovered since 2000!).

I wonder why people care about keeping planet as a special category? (I guess this precedent was set when Ceres et al were considered not to be planets - before then, any moving object was a planet as far as I know; of course, there's no reason why a definition can't be reversed.) Should we also then have a special category for "moon"?

Think of those poor schoolchildren who have no way of remembering all those moons now!

 

[GenMarshall]

Why do you see it that way?

I see it because it has been hammered into our heads since elementary school that Pluto is the ninth planet. I dont see it as a dwarf planet, I see it as a planet. Regardless what the IAU says.

 

[Perfection]

So planets are sorted - what do people think of moons?

Good question! That's the next thing we gotta get sorted.

Interestingly, there doesn't appear to be a specific definition of "moon" except for being a synonym of any natural satellite of a planet (unless someone knows better?). Wikipedia lists a whopping 63 moons of Jupiter ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter's_natural_satellites ), including ones only 1 km across, so it seems there is no boundary where something is no longer considered a moon. In a similar parallel to the discovery of Kuiper Belt Objects, recent technology has also caused the discovery of Jupiter moons to rapidly increase recently (45 moons have been discovered since 2000!).

There is somewhat of a differntation (usually using sphericity) between "major moons" and "minor moons" that can help somewhat (allthough sphericity is somewhat arbitrary and leads to some nastiness), but among the minor moons things can still get quite weird because as detection ability increases the number of moons is only going to get higher and higher.

I wonder why people care about keeping planet as a special category?

The 8 planets (huzzah, now I can say that without clarification), all have special properties that differentiate them from other bodies, so when scientific questions occur involving bodies of those properties the word becomes handy. The ingrainment in popular psyche to is important too, I think this redefinition well teach some people a few things about our solar system that they didn't know before.

Should we also then have a special category for "moon"?

I'm not sure, I'm tempted to say "screw it" and let all the little buggers be moons, however I'm thinking that differentiation between the larger irregularly shaped satelites and these tiny stones should exist somewhere, but where exactly is quite tricky.

Think of those poor schoolchildren who have no way of remembering all those moons now!

Indeed, I only bother to remember all the major (round) moons

 

[odintheking]

Who gives a crap? Everyone has been taught Pluto is a planet, and that's the way most people are going to stay. Besides, shouldn't astronomers be doing more important things? Like finding ways to colonize and explore Mars and the moon, or finding better ways of space travel, or finding new galaxies? What the hell?

"We have concluded that Pluto isn't a planet after one of our coworkers said 'Pluto is like, really small!' at lunch today. It's not really breaking news, just an excuse to stop working."

 

[Perfection]

I see it because it has been hammered into our heads since elementary school that Pluto is the ninth planet.

Well, when you were in elementary school you should've been taught that Pluto was the 8th planet because at that time it was closer then Neptune to the sun! Besides, you're allowed to change what you believed in elementary school! Hell, in elementary school I believed in God!

I dont see it as a dwarf planet, I see it as a planet. Regardless what the IAU says.

Well then how do you see UB313 (Xena), a body larger then Pluto that orbits around the Sun?

 

[Perfection]

Who gives a crap?

Nerds!

Everyone has been taught Pluto is a planet, and that's the way most people are going to stay.

Yeah, but in 70 years most of them well be dead!

Besides, shouldn't astronomers be doing more important things? Like finding ways to colonize and explore Mars and the moon, or finding better ways of space travel, or finding new galaxies? What the hell?

Well if you find things you should classify them so that you can discuss them in a coherant maner! Most (if not all) scientific disciplines have a system of nomenclature described by a central organisation (the IAU in this case), without this coherent system it's difficult to discuss things in a clear and precise manner. The only reason this is considered a big deal is because of the popularity of the term "planet". The redefinition was most certainly neccesary because we were stuck with an object larger then Pluto and we needed to figure out how to classify it properly.

"We have concluded that Pluto isn't a planet after one of our coworkers said 'Pluto is like, really small!' at lunch today. It's not really breaking news, just an excuse to stop working."

Well the breaking news is the amazing extent of the Kuiper Belt, and because of it we can't use the traditional set of planets in a discussion without adding in a bunch of "excepts" "and these bodies too" or whatever.

 

[nihilistic]

I see it because it has been hammered into our heads since elementary school that Pluto is the ninth planet. I dont see it as a dwarf planet, I see it as a planet. Regardless what the IAU says.

So you would cling to stuff presumably "hammered into your head" even if evidence detracts from it? It's explains a lot. Fortunately in science, no tradition is sacred.

You do realize that at the time Pluto was first classified as a plant it was due to massive miscalculations of its mass due to a lack of accurate equipment?

 

[GenMarshall]

Well, when you were in elementary school you should've been taught that Pluto was the 8th planet because at that time it was closer then Neptune to the sun!

I am not going to nit-pick about the Neptune-Plutonian oddball orbit, perhaps the teachers too did not want to nit-pick about the possitions of Neptune and Pluto.

Besides, you're allowed to change what you believed in elementary school! Hell, in elementary school I believed in God!

True, but I am still reconising Pluto as the 9th/8th major planet regardless what the IAU says. Even if they pass the vote, I will still reconise Pluto as a planet. Realy, the IAU has better things to do than to pick on Pluto. Just leave the planet alone for goodness sakes.

Well then how do you see UB313 (Xena), a body larger then Pluto that orbits around the Sun?

I see any naturaly made object in space that is larger than Pluto is a planet.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Who says there is a problem with an Astronomical institute classifying astronomical objects? How is this a waste of their time or an abuse of their powers? And besides, like I keep saying, the original definition of "planet" included the sun and the moon, and it stayed that way for thousands of years. So you have to do better than, "I am used to Pluto being a planet so it is a planet".

 

[Gogf]

I am not going to nit-pick about the Neptune-Plutonian oddball orbit, perhaps the teachers too did not want to nit-pick about the possitions of Neptune and Pluto.

Nitpick? Neptune has a "special relationship" with Pluto which means that Neptune is a planet and Pluto isn't. That's hardly a nitpick.

True, but I am still reconising Pluto as the 9th/8th major planet regardless what the IAU says.

Think whatever you want, but Pluto is not a planet.

Even if they pass the vote, I will still reconise Pluto as a planet. Realy, the IAU has better things to do than to pick on Pluto. Just leave the planet alone for goodness sakes.

What better things does the IAU have to do? This is their job.

I see any naturaly made object in space that is larger than Pluto is a planet.

What about objects that are one inch smaller than pluto, or one gram less massive? Who are you to decide on such a random and arbitrary cutoff?

 

[GenMarshall]

Think whatever you want, but Pluto is not a planet.

It will still be a planet to me . I will point out that is my own opinons on this matter on this.

What about objects that are one inch smaller than pluto, or one gram less massive? Who are you to decide on such a random and arbitrary cutoff?

Dang, dont harp on me just because I am sharing my own opinions on this issue. Its not like I am king or something making a decision on this sort of stuff. Am I not allowed to voice my opinions? Since that is basicly what I am doing is simply sharing my opinion, not deciding for the whole word.

 

[nihilistic]

True, but I am still reconising Pluto as the 9th/8th major planet regardless what the IAU says. Even if they pass the vote, I will still reconise Pluto as a planet. Realy, the IAU has better things to do than to pick on Pluto. Just leave the planet alone for goodness sakes.

Well, scientists (within a single field at least) need to agree on a single precise vocabulary to communicate discoveries and theories. As instruments and methods become more precise, the vocabulary also needs to catch up. I'm pretty sure one of the major reasons the IAU even exists is to decide on terminology. If anything is "picking on Pluto's planet-ness", it's the facts, facts like how Pluto mass is 0.21% that of Earth's.

I see any naturaly made object in space that is larger than Pluto is a planet.

What are the reasons motivating you to that point of view? Are any of these reasons based on science?

 

[Spartan117]

Think whatever you want, but Pluto is not a planet.

but,but,but....pluto is a planet i refuse to use silly labels to classify pluto, other than planet of course..

time to start the petition...

 

[GenMarshall]

time to start the petition...

Perhaps a poll asking if the posters here think that Pluto is still a planet .

What are the reasons motivating you to that point of view? Are any of these reasons based on science?

No, my reasons for my opinions is based to keep the status quo and the tradition that Pluto has been a planet since the 1930s. Please do take into consideration that this is my on opinion and that I am not making the decision for the entire world.

 

[Gogf]

Dang, dont harp on me just because I am sharing my own opinions on this issue. Its not like I am king or something making a decision on this sort of stuff. Am I not allowed to voice my opinions? Since that is basicly what I am doing is simply sharing my opinion, not deciding for the whole word.

Who's harping on you? I'm pointing out why I don't think we should have a definition of planet's like that one. We shouldn't be classifying things based on totally arbitraries sizes.

 

[Margim]

Moderator Action: Planet Removed
Reason: Impersonating larger celestial bodies.
Punishment: Banned, indefinitely

Please read the planetary definitions before you seek scientific acceptance again.