Should Pluto be a Planet?

[Luveria]

Astrology is never going to be right anyway.

I think they mean Astronomy...hopefully.

I meant astrology. I find it lulzy astrology depends upon Pluto being a planet.

[Tetryx]

I think they mean Astronomy...hopefully.

I meant astrology. I find it lulzy astrology depends upon Pluto being a planet.

...Ah, I misunderstood the situation...I thought you were like Arcturus...

To anyone that thinks I am insulting them: If I wanted to humiliate your intelligence, humiliated would have been an understatement.

[Tetryx]

A giant space probe that kills all life on Earth...wait...I mean Mars! ^-^ Or not, which one do you think is more likely to get hit by a giant space probe BEFORE gravity shit messes with the tidal waves...

Hmm? I was just referring to Phobos and its inability to exist in a stable orbit. Though I was wrong about the retrograde motion (I got mixed up with Triton); Phobos just orbits faster than Mars rotates and apparently it gets pulled apart into a ring system instead of smashing into Mars (then Earth will be super jealous).

FIX IT NAO OR DIE!!! , Hehe

[The Imperial Republic of New Kyoto]

I think I'll take the guy's with PHD's words for it,

Would that include Dr. Alan Stern? Head of the New Horizon's mission who disagrees with the IAU ruling? I suggest his views are hardly based in ignorance of the subject.

[Dakini]

Meh, I'm not an IAU member (hell, a few years ago my supervisor wasn't, he might be now) so I don't get to vote on shit.

Hah, so it's not a real consensus. Us pro-Pluto people have a chance yet.

Among astronomers, there are few who think Pluto should be a planet. Most of the other definitions floated before the IAU left Pluto out (and some of them are better than the definition they went with). There were a lot of people who went to the IAU meeting after the one where they decided this because they were hoping for a fight about it (and then they all got robbed because the meeting was in Rio).

Also, it's probably easy for Pluto to pick up all the moons when it lives in a debris field. I mean, Mars got its moons by robbing from the asteroid belt because it felt lonely. It can't even get them both to move in the right direction so one of them will smash right into the surface like a space probe built by people with poor unit conversion abilities.

Now this I really find interesting. Which one is going to mess Mars up and what kind of timescale are we talking?

Phobos, though apparently it'll become a ring system in about a few 10s of millions of years.

[New Sapienta]

I think I'll take the guy's with PHD's words for it,

Would that include Dr. Alan Stern? Head of the New Horizon's mission who disagrees with the IAU ruling? I suggest his views are hardly based in ignorance of the subject.

Yes but I'll take the general consensus over one.

[Tetryx]

Hah, so it's not a real consensus. Us pro-Pluto people have a chance yet.

Among astronomers, there are few who think Pluto should be a planet. Most of the other definitions floated before the IAU left Pluto out (and some of them are better than the definition they went with). There were a lot of people who went to the IAU meeting after the one where they decided this because they were hoping for a fight about it (and then they all got robbed because the meeting was in Rio).

Now this I really find interesting. Which one is going to mess Mars up and what kind of timescale are we talking?

Phobos, though apparently it'll become a ring system in about a few 10s of millions of years.

I think they need cats.

[Tetryx]

They need giant cats that orbit them and they need to feed 'dos kittehs.

[Desperate Measures]

Pluto deserves to be part of the team.

[Fartsniffage]

Among astronomers, there are few who think Pluto should be a planet. Most of the other definitions floated before the IAU left Pluto out (and some of them are better than the definition they went with). There were a lot of people who went to the IAU meeting after the one where they decided this because they were hoping for a fight about it (and then they all got robbed because the meeting was in Rio).

The fun thing is that none of it really matters. The science around the various bodies spinning around the the Sun will still get done regardless of whether they're a planet or not.

Phobos, though apparently it'll become a ring system in about a few 10s of millions of years.

That's not nearly as cool as I was hoping for. I wanted a Deep Impact style photo from Curiosity, ideally with the Martians who created the facerunning past....

[Dakini]

I think they mean Astronomy...hopefully.

I meant astrology. I find it lulzy astrology depends upon Pluto being a planet.

It also depends on the constellations being the same size and the equinoxes not precessing.


And well, the whole bit of being able to tell your future based on the positions of the planets and Sun relative to the background sky.

[Luveria]

Pluto deserves to be part of the team.

Pluto proved it wasn't good enough for the team.

[Dakini]

Among astronomers, there are few who think Pluto should be a planet. Most of the other definitions floated before the IAU left Pluto out (and some of them are better than the definition they went with). There were a lot of people who went to the IAU meeting after the one where they decided this because they were hoping for a fight about it (and then they all got robbed because the meeting was in Rio).

The fun thing is that none of it really matters. The science around the various bodies spinning around the the Sun will still get done regardless of whether they're a planet or not.

Yeah. To some extent, there's some amount of simplification that's necessary and some definitions that are good to agree upon so everyone knows that they're talking about the same thing, but really it doesn't matter. I'm not huge on the stamp-collecting aspect of things in general.

Phobos, though apparently it'll become a ring system in about a few 10s of millions of years.

That's not nearly as cool as I was hoping for. I wanted a Deep Impact style photo from Curiosity, ideally with the Martians who created the facerunning past....

Ah, good old pareidolia.

[Luveria]

I meant astrology. I find it lulzy astrology depends upon Pluto being a planet.

It also depends on the constellations being the same size and the equinoxes not precessing.


And well, the whole bit of being able to tell your future based on the positions of the planets and Sun relative to the background sky.

I can't see the connection between a person's future and the position of planets. Maybe an astrologist can give a valid explanation.

[Dakini]

It also depends on the constellations being the same size and the equinoxes not precessing.


And well, the whole bit of being able to tell your future based on the positions of the planets and Sun relative to the background sky.

I can't see the connection between a person's future and the position of planets. Maybe an astrologist can give a valid explanation.

No, they really can't.

They'll take your money if you offer it to them to explain it though.

[Fartsniffage]

Ah, good old pareidolia.

Hey! It could have been worse.

I'm a big fan of these books, at least I'm not demanding pictures of Zeus....

[Luveria]

I can't see the connection between a person's future and the position of planets. Maybe an astrologist can give a valid explanation.

No, they really can't.

They'll take your money if you offer it to them to explain it though.

They can't help you like I can. I'll give you a tarot card reading for only $25 an hour.

[Desperate Measures]

Pluto deserves to be part of the team.

Pluto proved it wasn't good enough for the team.

Poor Pluto.

[Arcturus IV]

*harrumphs, cracks knuckles*

If Pluto isn't a planet, then neither is Jupiter. Why? Because 2M1207b, that's why.

Because there's a planetary mass object orbiting a brown dwarf?

Jupiter is a sub-brown dwarf and/or a planetar.

Somewhat iffy claims since neither of these are well-defined or agreed upon definitions.

Additionally, I would challenge Mercury's status as well, seeing as how both Ganymede and Titan (moons/satellites, not planets) are larger than it, and I request evidence that Mercury is responsible for clearing its orbit, and not, in fact, the Sun.

If the Sun was in Mercury's orbit, there would be no Mercury any more.

1 and 2. From the planetar wiki link:

planetars are planet-like objects that are formed in the manner of planets, through accretion or core collapse from a circumstellar disc. Both brown dwarfs and planetars are planet-like objects above a certain size.

The 2M1207b link defines said substellar object as a sub-brown dwarf. It's almost the same size as Jupiter. The distinction between "this orbits a yellow G-type star" and "this orbits a brown dwarf" is pretty arbitrary. As for the definitions not being well defined or agreed upon, that is my point in arguing Jupiter is not a planet. Not everyone agrees on Pluto's demotion, and planets are relatively poorly undefined with arbitrary exceptions made by the IAU as they see fit. They even overturned the popular vote to grant the name "Vulcan" to one of Pluto's moons for arbitrary and questionable reasons.

3. The Sun isn't in Mercury's orbit, duh. I'm talking about gravity. I require evidence that Mercury itself has cleared its orbit, and that the orbit hasn't been cleared by dint of Sol's gravitational well, or passing asteroids or what have you.

If Pluto isn't a planet, then neither is Jupiter. Why? Because 2M1207b, that's why.

Because there's a bigger object outside of the solar system?

Jupiter is a sub-brown dwarf and/or a planetar.

Neither of your sources state this. Do you have one that does?

Additionally, I would challenge Mercury's status as well, seeing as how both Ganymede and Titan (moons/satellites, not planets) are larger than it...

Irrelevant statement is irrelevant.

1. See above.
2. No. See above.
3. Not irrelevant. Size is an important factor when deciding planetary status, and honestly right now? The whole system is a giant pile of steaming shit. There need to be better definitions, or the IAU needs to go back to the previous setup and stop pretending this current system is better. Because it isn't.

Arcturus is confused, I think we need to update to Arcturus V.

Arcturus V was destroyed. It's just a belt of asteroids now. (Nation facts, I have no idea if the Arcturan system actually contains planets.) So, no. No confusion. Again, see above.

[Cameroi]

it orbits a sun. its big enough for to have its own significant gravity. what's to not be a planet?

[Surfistan]

it orbits a sun. its big enough for to have its own significant gravity. what's to not be a planet?

Because.


It's ellipse around the sun is very eccentric.
There are around 200 Pluto-like objects in the solar system, naming them all planets will be messy.

[Arcturus IV]

it orbits a sun. its big enough for to have its own significant gravity. what's to not be a planet?

Because.


It's ellipse around the sun is very eccentric.
There are around 200 Pluto-like objects in the solar system, naming them all planets will be messy.

There are ~7,000,000,000 people in the world. Naming them all will be messy.

Poor reasoning is poor.

[Surfistan]

Because.


It's ellipse around the sun is very eccentric.
There are around 200 Pluto-like objects in the solar system, naming them all planets will be messy.

There are ~7,000,000,000 people in the world. Naming them all will be messy.

Poor reasoning is poor.

Okay, give me one non sentimental reason why SCIENTISTS SHOULD CLAIM THAT AN ICECUBE AT THE EDGE OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM SHOULD BE REINSTATED AS A PLANET, WHEN THE SAME ONES CLAIMED 7 YEARS AGO, THAT IT IN FACT ISN'T FOR A NUMBER OF VERY GOOD REASONS?!

If you're lucky though, it keeps crashing into similar dwarf planets and may clear it's way
and then in a few million years, it might, be a planet.

[The Steel Magnolia]

Pluto will always be a planet in my eyes.

I love it when people are not only wrong, they know they're wrong and they are proud that they are wrong.

By referring to Pluto as a planet, you also confirm that Eris, a dwarf planet larger than Pluto is also a planet, and you also have Sedna, MakeMake, Huamea, etc.

We'd easily have 12+ planets.

While I am on the "Pluto is not a planet" side of the argument, because by current definition of the word "planet" Pluto is not a planet, I don't see the problem with having that many planets. It would be awesome, and it wouldn't affect Education, since children would probably just be taught the important/large planets at first, and then taught the other planets later.

Oh I'm totally wrong. It totally shouldn't be. But I can't help but still think of it like that.

[Warda]

I love it when people are not only wrong, they know they're wrong and they are proud that they are wrong.

While I am on the "Pluto is not a planet" side of the argument, because by current definition of the word "planet" Pluto is not a planet, I don't see the problem with having that many planets. It would be awesome, and it wouldn't affect Education, since children would probably just be taught the important/large planets at first, and then taught the other planets later.

Oh I'm totally wrong. It totally shouldn't be. But I can't help but still think of it like that.

I'm not sure if I can still say Pluto is a planet now.