NationStates Jolt Archive

Poor Pluto. It was demoted from planet to dwarf planet and now they are saying it isn't even the largest of the dwarf planets.

I think we need to start a movement to restore the dignity of Pluto. In protest of these outrageous demotions I propose we all stand out in front of our homes at midnight naked and stare up at the sky. If people can ride bycicles in the nude to protest, we can star gaze nude to protest.

Up with Pluto.

Poor Pluto not even the largest dwarf planet
POSTED: 1:09 p.m. EDT, June 15, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pity poor Pluto, the puny former planet is facing yet another indignity.

Demoted from planethood a year ago into a new category of dwarf planet, it now turns out that it isn't even the biggest one of those.

"This is sort of Pluto's last stand," joked Emily L. Schaller of California Institute of Technology, co-author of a report in Thursday's issue of the journal Science.

When the International Astronomical Union redefined planets last year, it created the new subcategory dwarf planets, and Pluto was thought to be the largest in that group.

Planetary astronomy professor Michael E. Brown and graduate student Schaller found otherwise while studying Dysnomia, the moon of Eris, another dwarf planet.

Using the Keck Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope they were able to calculate the movement of Dysnomia and, with that information, calculate the mass of Eris at 27 percent more than Pluto. But even though Eris tops Pluto, Earth is still 360 times more massive.

"Pluto and Eris are essentially twins -- except that Eris is slightly the pudgier of the two," Brown said.

Eris, by the way, is named for the Greek goddess of, among other things, rivalry.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/06/15/poor.pluto.ap/index.html

Oooh, light conflict.
I already star gaze naked, but only on windy nights, since mosquitoes are pretty nasty at some times of the year here.
I'm not sure i want to politicize something so beautiful.
I feel your pain nonetheless.

OP: Yoink!

Three in ONE DAY! Booyah!

Poor Pluto. It was demoted from planet to dwarf planet and now they are saying it isn't even the largest of the dwarf planets.

I think we need to start a movement to restore the dignity of Pluto. In protest of these outrageous demotions I propose we all stand out in front of our homes at midnight naked and stare up at the sky. If people can ride bycicles in the nude to protest, we can star gaze nude to protest.

Up with Pluto.

Poor Pluto not even the largest dwarf planet
POSTED: 1:09 p.m. EDT, June 15, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pity poor Pluto, the puny former planet is facing yet another indignity.

Demoted from planethood a year ago into a new category of dwarf planet, it now turns out that it isn't even the biggest one of those.

"This is sort of Pluto's last stand," joked Emily L. Schaller of California Institute of Technology, co-author of a report in Thursday's issue of the journal Science.

When the International Astronomical Union redefined planets last year, it created the new subcategory dwarf planets, and Pluto was thought to be the largest in that group.

Planetary astronomy professor Michael E. Brown and graduate student Schaller found otherwise while studying Dysnomia, the moon of Eris, another dwarf planet.

Using the Keck Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope they were able to calculate the movement of Dysnomia and, with that information, calculate the mass of Eris at 27 percent more than Pluto. But even though Eris tops Pluto, Earth is still 360 times more massive.

"Pluto and Eris are essentially twins -- except that Eris is slightly the pudgier of the two," Brown said.

Eris, by the way, is named for the Greek goddess of, among other things, rivalry.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/06/15/poor.pluto.ap/index.html

Mwahahaha, at last Eris' dominance is recognised.

*eats a hot dog sans bun*

Hail Eris! Hail Discordia!

Okay i voted "Yes", but there's a slight contingency.
I live in an apartment complex right now, in a relatively busy part of town.
I'm gonna have to use a surrogate yard, and so far, my workplace isn't kosher with the idea.
:(

Trilby63;12780977']Hail Eris! Hail Discordia!

Hail Miss Holy See.
*daydreams*

*nibbles an apricot*

So how big does a planet have to be to be a planet? How close is Eris?

How much dirt can you fit in a rocketship?

Because you lack a front yard, you must stand in the front parking lot on the sidewalk near the street. :p

This lot doesn't even have a sidewalk on the street! :(
... is there a cheer of sorts i should be chanting?
Should i be hopping up and down?

FOUR warps!
Even skipped a post! :D

EDIT: skipped TWO posts? o.0

Oh, and I will be standing naked in my front yard, but not in protest. I'm going for an all over moontan.

I say let the planets duke it out. In lime Jell-O. Wearing thongs.

Okay i voted "Yes", but there's a slight contingency.
I live in an apartment complex right now, in a relatively busy part of town.
I'm gonna have to use a surrogate yard, and so far, my workplace isn't kosher with the idea.
:(

Because you lack a front yard, you must stand in the front parking lot on the sidewalk near the street. :p

So how big does a planet have to be to be a planet? How close is Eris?

How much dirt can you fit in a rocketship?

You'd dare even think about pranking Eris?

It should at least be given some kind of honored status, or something. :p

*puts on conspiricy hat*

Pluto is the only planet discovered by an American! The rest of the world doesn't want an americian planet. They only want European planets!

But come on, I say we just let pluto be a planet, like it has been for 70 years.

Trilby63;12781025']You'd dare even think about pranking Eris?

Actually, I was thinking that we could use a ninth planet again. :)

I say let the planets duke it out. In lime Jell-O. Wearing thongs.

I like the way you think. :)

You know, Pluto would still have to knock out Neptue to be considered a planet since I think it has to be the dominant body in it's orbit.. or something..

*sniff* I don't get any respect! :(

*sniff* I don't get any respect! :(

You mean, being named after the god of underworld and riches isn't enough?
Shit.

ah yes, pluto...

http://elgg.leeds.ac.uk/soc6tjw/files/1/351/pluto.gif

cool way to name a planet :)

Pluto's a n00b.

I'm still mad at the IAU about this. Restore Pluto! Promote Eris!

It's an attempt to deny the fact that Mondas is out there, waiting for us fleshbags.

I'm still mad at the IAU about this. Restore Pluto! Promote Eris!

Promote Eris to star. *nods*

first of all,
:headbang:

Secondly, why not just use the Star Trek system of planetary classification?

its easier, it apparently works, and possibly has more categories then astro-oligists have come up with.

really, what did they use:
coin flip?
rock/paper/sissors?
2:3, 3:5 in darts or pool/billards?
which debating side had the least amount of coffee so far this year?

seriously, if you have a scale where a mass difference of 23% is all it takes, why not see if the scale should be revised.

at this rate its on a happy trip to being called an "almost boulder".

Rafe
OOC

Secondly, why not just use the Star Trek system of planetary classification?

its easier, it apparently works, and possibly has more categories then astro-oligists have come up with.
Does star trek have a system of celestial body classification? I don't mean what counts as an M-class planet, I mean what counts as a planet at all, before sticking a letter in front of it.


Also, a system of planet classification where presence of life is a factor is pretty stupid until we actually find a planet with life on it.


really, what did they use:
coin flip?
rock/paper/sissors?
2:3, 3:5 in darts or pool/billards?
which debating side had the least amount of coffee so far this year?
If you care so much why don't you try and find out what they used instead of resorting to childish insults.

Does star trek have a system of celestial body classification? I don't mean what counts as an M-class planet, I mean what counts as a planet at all, before sticking a letter in front of it.


Also, a system of planet classification where presence of life is a factor is pretty stupid until we actually find a planet with life on it.

Ayup, they do. Saw it at Barnes & Noble or Borders or some other den of iniquity.

first of all,
:headbang:

Secondly, why not just use the Star Trek system of planetary classification?

its easier, it apparently works, and possibly has more categories then astro-oligists have come up with.this ? (http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Planetary_classification)

this ? (http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Planetary_classification)

That is probably the nerdiest website I have ever seen.

That is probably the nerdiest website I have ever seen.
No, no, NO! No challenges!
*shakes fist*

That is probably the nerdiest website I have ever seen.what do you mean? it's just the star trek wiki.

btw aren't you a creationist? nerdy websites should be your specialty.

what do you mean? it's just the star trek wiki.


Exactly, how can you get nerdier?


btw aren't you a creationist?


no

And in other news, Wyoming was declared to be no longer a state, but an overgrown township.

if only i had a front yard. or a yard of any situation.

And in other news, Wyoming was declared to be no longer a state, but an overgrown township.

Andorra is no longer a country, it is simply a province now.

Andorra is no longer a country, it is simply a province now.

and Jersey's a new UK county.

And in other news, Wyoming was declared to be no longer a state, but an overgrown township.

They're excising themselves from Cheney.

and Jersey's a new UK county.

The Vatican city is being demoted back to a city, The Sovereign Military Order Of Malta is being demoted to a building.

The Vatican city is being demoted back to a city, The Sovereign Military Order Of Malta is being demoted to a building.

and the USA has had it's independance from Britain revoked.

and the USA has had it's independance from Britain revoked.

Britain has had it's independence from Rome revoked.

Britain has had it's independence from Rome revoked.

we're all sumerians now.

and the USA has had it's independance from Britain revoked.

*SNORT*
Like you WANT us back? Weren't we enough of a pain in the ass when we were your colonies?

Trilby63;12781091']You know, Pluto would still have to knock out Neptue to be considered a planet since I think it has to be the dominant body in it's orbit.. or something..

That's just nonsense perpetrated by the "Get Pluto" lobby. If Pluto isn't a planet because of the 'hasn't cleared its orbit' rule then neither is Neptune.

We have 11 planets:

4 Terrestrial: Mercury, Venus, Earth & Mars
4 Gas Giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune
3 Dwarf: Ceres, Pluto & Eris

Sedna may be joining the Dwarf club when the astronomers have worked out what the hell it is.

Sedna may be joining the Dwarf club when the astronomers have worked out what the hell it is.
It's that big dark evil thing featured on The Fifth Element.

Britain has had it's independence from Rome revoked.

Rome has had its independence from the Etruscans revoked....

It's sheer travesty that WYTYG hasn't anted up here yet.
:(

Good. Pluto never deserved planet status, and this is pulling it further away.

I kind of prefered versions 3 and 4 of the Planetary Classification List from The ArcBuilder universe by John M. and Margo L. Dollan to the current but it's still a more sensible and comprehenisve list than defining a planet or planetoid by whether or not it has cleared all dust from it's orbital path which was one RL method.

*gets naked*

we're all sumerians now.

Hail Ishtar!

Yes, let's protest Pluto's demotion. Let's protest scientific accuracy and keep believing that Pluto is a planet. Let's just ignore science and go with whatever we want! :rolleyes:

If professional astronomers all agree that Pluto is not a planet, it is not a planet. It is a dwarf planet now, so deal with it.

Would you people stop whining about this. Pluto wasn't a planet. Some idiot was able to convince everyone it was. I realized a year or more before the official decision that Pluto was just a block of ice hurtling through the Kuiper Belt that had been highlighted and that's why some people will be upset.

How do you define a "planet"? I could argue that the 4 outer planets shouldn't be considered planets because they're just big puffs of gas.

I'll just get a tattoo. Pluto (http://www.ftschool.org/fourth/science/images/pluto_symbol.gif)

*gets naked*
WooT!!

*SNORT*
Like you WANT us back? Weren't we enough of a pain in the ass when we were your colonies?

don't spoil my "tongue in cheek" 'imperialism', yer alla guna ern yeh cant lren frum tha thingamabobs. errrr... so what exctly'is going onnnnn.... *is fukked*

Hail Ishtar!

now yer becoming some sort of sectarian crazy. youb no wut wwe du with thm uh? ... i mean i dint,,, but i'm omeone duz...

OK POINTS AWARDED TO HOO CAN DECIFE WURT TE FUK I WUX SEEYIN THAR. SUM UTHA FFUKKKKKIN SHHHHIT I SPOSE......SEEEEEE...................



YEH I M SOOOO FUKJOINGN DRUNK I **** SEEE THE THINK SEEE................ THERB KEBORGD/ ES.L HAR THEU GOY

How do you define a "planet"? I could argue that the 4 outer planets shouldn't be considered planets because they're just big puffs of gas.
Puff's of gas with enough gravity to be fatal halfway to their solid cores. That is assuming the pressure didn't do it first.

Eris... Wasn't she supposedly that **ut of a goddess that started the Trojan war? (heh s*ut and Trojan in one sentence)

Screw it.

Pluto for planethood!

Eris... Wasn't she supposedly that **ut of a goddess that started the Trojan war? (heh s*ut and Trojan in one sentence)

Screw it.

Pluto for planethood!

with the apple of discort.

Eris... Wasn't she supposedly that **ut of a goddess that started the Trojan war? (heh s*ut and Trojan in one sentence)

Screw it.

Pluto for planethood!

:eek:

That isn't even innuendo.. its inmeendo and inyourendo. Inallendo.

OP: Yoink!

Three in ONE DAY! Booyah!

lucky you i still have not got a OP yet

an can't they just leave Pluto alone

Naked? Sign me up.

Naked? Sign me up.

Are you a male or a female?

:eek:

That isn't even innuendo.. its inmeendo and inyourendo. Inallendo.

Heh, you'll do well here.
:)

lucky you i still have not got a OP yet

Your day will come. Kind of a surprise it wasn't today, really.

Never was a real planet to begin with. It's about time that this imposter was stripped of its ill-gotten title.

*puts on conspiricy hat*

Pluto is the only planet discovered by an American! The rest of the world doesn't want an americian planet. They only want European planets!

But come on, I say we just let pluto be a planet, like it has been for 70 years.

Of course. European planets are cooler, and, since temperature decreases as you get farther from the Sun...;)

Anyway, no way Pluto can be considered a planet. It isn't the only major body on its own orbit, and its orbit crosses the orbit of another planet. There are chances that in some umptillion years Pluto and Charon will eventually crash down on Neptune.

How do you define a "planet"? I could argue that the 4 outer planets shouldn't be considered planets because they're just big puffs of gas.

You can, but you won't have much influence. The term "planet" is defined by the IAU, not by "I want that to be a planet so I'll define the term 'planet' as I want".

Good ol' copy-and-paste from wiki:


A planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion in its core, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.[1][2]

That's a planet.
If it hasn't cleared its neighbouring region, it is a dwarf planet.


added:

I wonder how the astrologers are going to handle this.
They always come up with the biggest idiocies to avoid being blasted away by science, so I bet they'll try to wriggle out of this one with some spectacular move.

Well, I always though the orbit of Pluto was a bit too weird for a planet. Very erratic sort of orbit, really.

Are you a male or a female?

Don't be so suburban. :rolleyes:

;)

This whole issue is stupid. Rewrite the understanding that we have all had since Pluto was discovered.

Think of the Financial lost... Billions of dollars to replace outdated textbooks, brainwashing, umm... I mean reeducating students and teachers who have been taught this since Kindergarten.

Oh well, Pluto will always a Planet and a lovable Cartoon Character to me!
This government cover-up for more money to aid homeless children on Mars, won't sway me!:eek:

Pluto being a dwarf planet means that Pluto is still a planet. It's impossible to be a dwarf planet and not still be a planet. Either it's not a dwarf planet or it's a planet.
And I'm still going to consider it a planet, along with Eris, the dwarf planet that's bigger then Pluto and started this whole thing.

Pluto is and will always be a planet. Especially since they're using biased criteria to claim it's not one.

Those bastards can't demote Pluto:(

Any excuse to stand naked in the yard and scream at the sky...

Poor Pluto. It was demoted from planet to dwarf planet and now they are saying it isn't even the largest of the dwarf planets.


You're going to protest that objects are considered smaller than objects that are bigger than them?

Trilby63;12780977']Hail Eris! Hail Discordia!

You do realize that the demotion of Pluto is part fnord of the vast Illuminati fnord conspiracy?

There are chances that in some umptillion years Pluto and Charon will eventually crash down on Neptune.

They don't orbit on the same plane. I believe that the consensus is that Neptune's moon Triton is a captured Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) and would've been classed as a Dwarf planet if it hadn't been captured.

There's a whole bunch of stuff orbiting things and some of that stuff is big enough to pull itself into a sphere. The problem is then that some of these
spheres orbit stars and others orbit spheres that orbit stars. For some reason we have to draw a distinction between spherical orbity bodies like Ganymede and Pluto. We should just call them Primary Planets or Secondary Planets depending on their relationship to the star. Jupiter would be a Primary Gas Giant and the Moon would be a Secondary Terrestrial.

naked astronomy?

*sultry voice* is that a 7" questar or are you just glad to see me? nice equatorial mount...

let's blow it up....