Pluto gets demoted

Strong Bad

Poor little helpless Pluto got the boot as a planet. We should protest!!! Come on Polk Forum, lets squash that nerd fest and restore Pluto to it's glory!


http://news.yahoo.com/fc/science/astronomy_and_space

venomclan

So where does that leave Uranus?

audiobliss

venomclan wrote:

So where does that leave Uranus?

That's still in my seat.

millerman 3732

I heard that the IAU was talking about this but never thought that they would do it. I also heard that if they did let Pluto keep its plantary status that something like 5 or 6 other objects that they have found that where larger than Pluto would also have to be planets

MacLeod

The problem is that Pluto is smaller than our moon, much further out than the rest of the planets and follows a skewed orbit around the sun that is more like that of an asteroid.

They have proposed letting Pluto keep its planetary status and adding 3 more new ones to the mix giving us 12 planets total.

tommyboy

at one time during its orbit, it becomes closer to the sun then neptune right? Still more proof that is more of an asteroid than a planet. but now that I think about it, who cares, they don't even have a real definition of a planet.

reeltrouble1

Just an example of some effer's wanting their name in a book, what, now we are going to rewrite all the science books and so on, eff it, Pluto is a planet, as a matter of fact this other effer two weeks ago had the solar system expanding to 12 planets as mentioned. I think we should send both these effer's to Pluto and let them do some close up study's.

RT1

Skynut

Pluto is not a planet, it was called a planet for the wrong reasons.
It is more like a commet or asteroid.
Part of it's year (284 earth years) it is actually closer to us than neptune.

I agree with the demotion.

zombie boy 2000

Donald Trump sez:


Pluto.... YOU'RE FIRED!!!!

bobman1235

Who gives a flying ****? Talk about worthless science. These guys have gone back and forth about the status of Pluto for decades. Is it really important to anyone or anything? There's so many MORE important things to be studying, even astronomically. These guys are just wastes of space.

ND13

Now Europa, that's another story!!!:rolleyes:

aaharvel

I agree with it, and MacLeod and Skynut hit the nail on the head.

Those other 3 will not be upgraded to planet status. One of them, Charon is Pluto's moon, the other two are asteroids.. and since they don't dominate their own orbit, technically speaking they can't be classified as planets.

wingnut4772

I am just waiting for them to finally say that Goofy is not really a dog.

reeltrouble1

Interplanetary Nerd Geeks. So that is what ING stands for.

Rock on Pluto!!!!!!!

RT1

Skynut

wingnut4772 wrote:

I am just waiting for them to finally say that Goofy is not really a dog.

Pluto walked on all fours while Goofy stood erect.

Goofy was a hy-brid at best.

zombie boy 2000

Skynut wrote:

Goofy was a hy-brid at best.

WAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!:D

hrdhtdvr

Talk about some stupid, waste of money, B.S. This is almost as bad as Chicago outlawing Foie Gras. BTW, why have we never been back to the moon? I guess we have learned all that there is to know about it from our visits in the 60s. :rolleyes:

petrym

Let's ask the Plutonians if they live on a planet or an asteroid... let them decide!!!
:D;)

bobman1235

We've never been back to the moon because we learned everything we really needed from a hunk of rock and dirt in space. The cosmos hold infinite mysteries and questions, that's why I don't understand why these chuckleheads spend years upon years debating the semantics of the word "planet." Probably government funded research too. Joke.

noimposse

Pluto was a loser anyway.


Stupid comet, lying, saying it was a planet.

exalted512

The government is always trying to keep the little guys down...

Pluto-youll always be a planet in my book
-Cody

MacLeod

bobman1235 wrote:

We've never been back to the moon because we learned everything we really needed from a hunk of rock and dirt in space. The cosmos hold infinite mysteries and questions, that's why I don't understand why these chuckleheads spend years upon years debating the semantics of the word "planet." Probably government funded research too. Joke.

You couldnt be more wrong bro.

We havent been back to the moon because there hasnt been a politcal will to do so and we havent learned everything there is to learn about it either, not by a longshot.

These scientists arent sitting around debating semantics, theyre studying Pluto as closely as they can considering its so freaking far away and the more they learn about it the more they learn its not fitting within the definition of planets.

Science is ongoing my brother and thats why its great. Theyre constantly learning more and more and like you said, the cosmos is so massive and complex as to be beyond comprehension so as we progress in technology and science, we're going to realize some of our theories were wrong.

We should be studying the **** out of space. Its definitely in our best interests to learn and explore as much as we possibly can in our surroundings. If we didnt, we never wouldve discovered America!

aaharvel

MacLeod wrote:

You couldnt be more wrong bro.

We havent been back to the moon because there hasnt been a politcal will to do so and we havent learned everything there is to learn about it either, not by a longshot.

These scientists arent sitting around debating semantics, theyre studying Pluto as closely as they can considering its so freaking far away and the more they learn about it the more they learn its not fitting within the definition of planets.

Science is ongoing my brother and thats why its great. Theyre constantly learning more and more and like you said, the cosmos is so massive and complex as to be beyond comprehension so as we progress in technology and science, we're going to realize some of our theories were wrong.

We should be studying the **** out of space. Its definitely in our best interests to learn and explore as much as we possibly can in our surroundings. If we didnt, we never wouldve discovered America!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

exalted512

DO I HEAR AN AMEN?

...sorry, just felt like that needed to be said...
-Cody

univera

bobman1235 wrote:

Who gives a flying ****? Talk about worthless science. These guys have gone back and forth about the status of Pluto for decades. Is it really important to anyone or anything? There's so many MORE important things to be studying, even astronomically. These guys are just wastes of space.

Finally someone who understands the significance of this chunk of ice. Who cares....???????? People are blowing each other to smithereens in the Middle East. Unless Osama is hiding there, I don't give a damn!:eek:

venomclan

wingnut4772 wrote:

I am just waiting for them to finally say that Goofy is not really a dog.

LOL "He can't be a dog, he wears pants and drives a car"
"What the hell is Goofy"?

starchaser

miltilda visits every morning & just stays until noon period

Beekyman

Marvin Martian sez..."This is the Illudium 235 Space Mod-U-Late-Or...I'm going to blow up Pluto!"

I'm a little miffed by the vote to demote Pluto because I feel that it would have been cool to have Ceres, Charon and posssibly others added to the collection of planets. The definitions taught to me as a child were easy to grasp, why do these astronmers feel it necessary to futz with a new definition? Planets(round things)go around Mr. Sun and round things that go around other larger round things are satellites. Other not round things floating around out there is rubble (asteroids) or comets. Simple stuff really when you get down to it. Its just a big case of "Analysis Paralysis" !

bobman1235

MacLeod wrote:

You couldnt be more wrong bro.

We havent been back to the moon because there hasnt been a politcal will to do so and we havent learned everything there is to learn about it either, not by a longshot.

These scientists arent sitting around debating semantics, theyre studying Pluto as closely as they can considering its so freaking far away and the more they learn about it the more they learn its not fitting within the definition of planets.

Science is ongoing my brother and thats why its great. Theyre constantly learning more and more and like you said, the cosmos is so massive and complex as to be beyond comprehension so as we progress in technology and science, we're going to realize some of our theories were wrong.

We should be studying the **** out of space. Its definitely in our best interests to learn and explore as much as we possibly can in our surroundings. If we didnt, we never wouldve discovered America!

Hey Mac, I mostly agree with you about studying the cosmos, as I tried to make clear. But all this nonsense about Pluto IS just arguing semantics, that's why id on't like it. Like I said, there's SO MUCH to learn, and these guys sit in debate rooms and argue over whether Pluto needs a different TITLE?? It's not like they made this huge discovery, and said "oh, wait, this isn't a planet." That would be completely normal. No, this has been YEARS of DEBATE between two factions, all about this one planet(oid). As someone said, they're just trying to get their names in a book somewhere rather than trying to do some real discovery.

I love science, I want us to learn as much as we possibly can, and then learn some more. I'm sure we could learn a lot from going to the moon again, but we haven't, and if it was that important people woudln't wait for the government to step up but find some private funding for their studies, like most other scientific studies. So obviously scientists feel there are more importantt hings to do with their time. Like reclassify Pluto...

Skynut

2003 UB313 is the reason this came up again.
Everytime a new celestial body is discovered the discoverer wants to call it a planet; everytime a new celestial body is discovered this topic comes up.

We have not had a firm description of a planet, ever.

We needed a firm description for further discoveries.

2003 UB313 is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) larger than Pluto.[1] Its size, and the prospect of discovering other similarly-sized objects in the future stimulated an attempt by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to define the term 'planet' more precisely. Under a new definition approved on August 24, 2006, 2003 UB313 was designated a "dwarf planet".[2]

Before this clarification, it had been described as our solar system's "tenth planet" by its Mount Palomar-based discovery team and NASA. However, one of the discoverers, Michael E. Brown, has stated his approval of the new 'dwarf planet' label.[3]

2003 UB313 orbits the Sun in a region of space known as the scattered disc accompanied by at least one moon; the pair are currently the most distant known objects in the solar system. Mike Brown announced in April 2006 that the Hubble Telescope has measured the diameter to be 2400 km. Brown also believes that it is coated in methane. These observations suggest that 2003 UB313 is more similar to Pluto than any previously known body.

A ruling on what to name 2003 UB313 was delayed pending a decision on whether it qualified as a planet. The discoverers have confidentially submitted potential names to the IAU, who oversee astronomical naming conventions. Claims that 2003 UB313 has been officially named "Xena" or "Lila" are incorrect; "Xena" is an informal codename used by its discoverers among themselves, and "Lila" is a name in the address of the website where the object was announced, after the newly-born daughter of one of the discoverers. Neither name was submitted to the IAU. "Xena" has caught on as a popular nickname however, and the moon has also been nicknamed "Gabrielle" after another character on the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess.

BIZILL

i hate pluto.