OT But of Interest: Pluto Gets Demoted

It's official. Pluto is no longer a planet.
According to new IAU guidelines, Pluto is now considered a "dwarf planet."
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/08/24/pluto-planets.html
I suggest that it be renamed to mark this occasion.
Since it is a "dwarf planet" maybe we should call it Gimli.
Or how about calling it Jerry? Planets are named after gods in mythlogy, and Pluto is the god of the dead. Now instead of being named
after the god of The Dead, it will be named for one of its founding members.
Bill Sullivan
Dead Head since 1967

On 24 Aug 2006 11:53:19 -0700, "The Rocket Scientist"
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Who cares what they call it! Still, "dwarf Planet" does not sound right, what ever happened to planetoid, planetesimal, and proto-planet?
Alan 3rd rock from the sun BTW the words above are all in my stock standard spell checker.

Alan Jones wrote:
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I seem to remember that the US would be on the metric system back in the 70's too...
Reality is that we're still on the English system, and there's a boatload of people that will still consider Pluto a planet. Heck, K-12 textbooks won't be updated for 5-10 years, so in the minds of "the public", Pluto will be a planet until the US converts to the metric system!
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The Rocket Scientist wrote:
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For a moment there I thought you were going to refer to a certain self-proclaimed rocket god. :)
5

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote:
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I knew it! I've seen the old pictures of you in ER and HPR. The tie dyed shirts, the beard, the long hair....
But that's ok Ray....even I have hit the road with the dead :)
Ted Novak TRA#5512 IEAS#75

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote:
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Yeah, that's what I thought as I was reading the post.
Musta been some bad acid. :)

On 24 Aug 2006 11:53:19 -0700, "The Rocket Scientist"
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But... aren't the founding members the Gods of the Dead...? ;-)
Seriously, though - the first asteroids discovered were named after gods as well. Minor ones, I'll grant you - Ceres, Eros, Vesta - but gods nonetheless.
Besides... classifying a planet is one thing, renaming it is another. Nobody would think of renaming Jupiter, or Mars, or even Earth.

Len Lekx wrote:
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I wouldn't be too sure about that. From what I've been able to find out an Advisory Group to the International Astronomical Union developed a definition of a planet earlier this year that would have included Pluto along with Ceres, Charon and Xena. This would have resulted in the Solar System having a total of 12 planets!
However, even in science, politics always raises it's ugly head. There are some 7500 astronomers in the IAU. About 2500 attended the conference this August and were expected to vote "yes" to the Advisory Group's recommendation. Instead a group of fanatics, who have been preaching for years that Pluto is not a planet, dragged out the meeting into the wee hours until only about 100 astronomers, consisting for the most part of said fanatics, were left. They then called for a vote on the definition of a planet that would exclude Pluto for all time. Needless to say the motion passed.
Therefore just over 1% of the astronomers who are members of the IAU decided that Pluto is not a planet.
With this example in place who can say that in August of 2009 a similiar group of fanatics will not rename Earth to Gaea?
Ken Holloway

I would like to submit a proposal to declare that the IAU Advisory Group members who demoted Pluto, are a bunch of mindless jerks who deserve to be lined up in front of a brick wall and shot, except that they're not worth the expense of the required ammunition and ensuing cleanup.
All in favor, vote "AYE". All opposed, please leave the room for a bit, and come back after the votes have been counted.
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Perhaps you will like this bit of lunacy (pun intended) from another group.
=================================================Prague - The international committee of astronomers decided this week to remove Pluto from the list of planets. A spokesman released this statement, "We're awfully sorry to have to let Pluto go, but this restructuring is necessary to move this solar system forward. We've got to tighten our asteroid belt and make difficult decisions. We've really enjoyed working with Pluto in the past and wish it no ill will. We look on this event as a great opportunity to revitalize our system."
Behind the scenes however, things were reportedly more heated. Rumors abound that Pluto orbited slower than other planets, often appearing sluggish and possibly intoxicated. Some have reportedly complained about off color jokes directed at Uranus. Lawsuits by several asteroids demanding inclusion in the solar system reportedly also motivated the committee to take a hard line on planet definition. An original plan to use the world "Pluton" was rejected by their lawyers as demeaning and discriminatory.
Others have defended Pluto, claiming the decision to downsize was based on unjust discrimination. One anonymous insider claimed, "It's a new solar system, and if you're not wearing rings, or you're too small, you're just not flashy enough for the kids today. Besides, the committee was always uncomfortable with the attraction between Pluto and its long-term partner, Charon. It's just prejudice I tell you."
Pluto's press agent released this statement, "While Pluto is saddened by this turn of events, it's not bitter, rather Pluto looks on this as an oportunity to explore new and exciting projects."
[Courtesy Mark Hoolihan and the Hoolinet (www.hoolinet.com) Copyright 2006 Boniface Bugle Productions. All Rights Absurd.]
Malcontent wrote:
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