[aldo_14]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/5282440.stm

[Wobble73]

No he's a cartoon dog!!






Seriously, does this mean it becomes an asteroid, planetoid or what?????

[Colonol Dekker]

Its a Pluton, we knew that
This raises the question if its not a planet does it still count in the 12 planet thing coming into play soon. ?

[Wobble73]

Its a Pluton, we knew that
This raises the question if its not a planet does it still count in the 12 planet thing coming into play soon. ?

No, If you read the article it states that that proposal was rejected the "Council of elders" (HAR, HAR)., and it was agreed to demote Pluto with them.

[Colonol Dekker]

I bet this is a government intiative to raise grade averages.
Most burberry skinned chav'lites round my way cant even list the first three planets, Even though they happen to live on one...

[Mefustae]

I forsee as a result of this a catastrophic collapse in School and University marks for Astonomy classes worldwide for the next few years.

[Colonol Dekker]

I can a see a few years down the line, a succesful manne dmission passsing Neptune and crashing into Pluto cos some cock back in 2006 said, Nah never mind its only a little one... We dont need to mention it..

[aldo_14]

Its a Pluton, we knew that
This raises the question if its not a planet does it still count in the 12 planet thing coming into play soon. ?

I think they're not using the term 'pluton' as it's already a geological one (for subcutaneous magma?  Not sure offhand).

[TopAce]

So, it's a "dwarf planet?" That's still a planet! Otherwise why would the word planet be in it?

What's the point in reducing he number of planets (or at least what WE consider planets) from 9 to 8, anyway? I don't see the point. It's smaller than any other planets, but still...

[Colonol Dekker]

Distance might be a factor, Otherwise Mercury would be pWned too i s'pose...

[Janos]

GREAT

so we can have reverse thread in three weeks when some jerk finds yet another spherical object from kuiper belt and creams his pants and then pluto is promoted as a planet once again

i swear, it never ends

[TopAce]

Everything ends somewhere. Apocalypse even destroys astronomers.

[Ford Prefect]

I always thought Pluto was really a Kuiper Belt object.

[Goober5000]

While this is a bit sad, IMHO it makes much more sense than the previous proposal.

[Wobble73]

Here's a proposal for a name for small spherical, planet shaped objects that aren't moons.


Plutonoids!!!! 

[Colonol Dekker]

Plutons covers thatm, But plutonoids will mess with Dyslexics ,more so i vote for that !

[aldo_14]

Here's a proposal for a name for small spherical, planet shaped objects that aren't moons.


Plutonoids!!!! 

Nah.

I'd call them Bobbins

[Wobble73]

Yay Plutonoids, something for the Klingons to fly around!!

[karajorma]

What's the point in reducing he number of planets (or at least what WE consider planets) from 9 to 8, anyway? I don't see the point. It's smaller than any other planets, but still...

Can you give me any sensible explaination why Pluto is a planet but UB-313 isn't? The problem with calling Pluto is a planet is that any time you find anything bigger than it you have to rewrite all the textbooks. That's good if you make textbooks but it's a pain in the arse for everyone else.

Pluto is a Kuiper belt object. I've always thought that for as long as I understood what the term was. The only thing we can do is call it what it is. Calling it a planet just because people like it being a planet is just bad science. In many ways I'm really glad this happened. It's pretty good proof of the fact that scientists are willing to change popularly held beliefs if they proved to be wrong. For over 50 years pretty much every scientist called Pluto a planet. Now even though it's hugely unpopular they've all basically stood up and said "We were wrong. We understand the solar system better than we did in 1939. It's not a planet"

I like that a lot.

[Dark Hunter]

I'm just glad they decided one way or another. I was tired of them being "indecisive" about Pluto and UB₃₁₃...