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#11
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Pluto IS a planet. Maybe it's not that big of a planet but it be kind of
dumb & pointless to say otherwise when most people believe it is. |
#12
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"Phyloe" wrote in message...
... wrote in message ... perhaps a very silly question... a while ago, there was a move to downgrade the status of Pluto - from "planet" to "minor body" I was told today that it was now "definitive", and astronomers no longer call it a planet so, what *is* the current statue of Pluto ??? I understand that Pluto is smaller than the Moon. Perhaps the Moon should be considered a planet. What would the Earth Moon combo be considered? Phyloe 'Lo Phyloe and Noname -- Not a silly question at all--in fact this has been an important question for over 30 years! The short answer is that Pluto's current status is that it is still classified as a planet with one moon, called "Charon" (KAY-run). As for our own Moon, Phyloe, its official classification is still that of "Earth's only natural satellite." However, there are many people--including the late Isaac Asimov--who consider our Moon to be a planet in its own right. And this would make the "Earth Moon combo" a binary planet system. To understand better why there is such a controversy about the planet Pluto, try to get hold of a copy of one of Isaac Asimov's articles named... The Incredible Shrinking Planet In it, Asimov tells how when Pluto was first discovered, astronomers believed that it was another HUGE gas giant like Uranus and Neptune. And over the years the evidence mounted up that Pluto was not so big. As Pluto's small size became clearer and clearer, some people began to say that it shouldn't be listed as a planet. Then when Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO) were discovered, this added fuel to the debate. It would be a lot easier for scientists to study the KBO data if Pluto and Charon were classified as KBOs rather than a planet with moon. While most scientists appear to lean toward Pluto's keeping its classification as a planet, and toward our own Moon's NOT being listed as a planet, i myself lean the other way in both cases. While Asimov agreed that our Moon should be listed as a planet, he didn't go along with changing Pluto's status. BUT, Asimov was not aware of KBOs. Had he known about KBOs, Isaac Asimov might have changed his mind. If you cannot find a copy of his article, don't be too concerned. I have a copy and will write an article titled... *PLUTO* - from Gas Giant to Comet Wannabee You are invited to read this at your leisure! happy days and... starry starry nights! -- Do you have yourself a dream? Are you burning with desire? If no dream, you have no steam To fan your ember into fire! Do you have yourself a dream? Paine Ellsworth |
#13
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"Phyloe" wrote in message...
... wrote in message ... perhaps a very silly question... a while ago, there was a move to downgrade the status of Pluto - from "planet" to "minor body" I was told today that it was now "definitive", and astronomers no longer call it a planet so, what *is* the current statue of Pluto ??? I understand that Pluto is smaller than the Moon. Perhaps the Moon should be considered a planet. What would the Earth Moon combo be considered? Phyloe 'Lo Phyloe and Noname -- Not a silly question at all--in fact this has been an important question for over 30 years! The short answer is that Pluto's current status is that it is still classified as a planet with one moon, called "Charon" (KAY-run). As for our own Moon, Phyloe, its official classification is still that of "Earth's only natural satellite." However, there are many people--including the late Isaac Asimov--who consider our Moon to be a planet in its own right. And this would make the "Earth Moon combo" a binary planet system. To understand better why there is such a controversy about the planet Pluto, try to get hold of a copy of one of Isaac Asimov's articles named... The Incredible Shrinking Planet In it, Asimov tells how when Pluto was first discovered, astronomers believed that it was another HUGE gas giant like Uranus and Neptune. And over the years the evidence mounted up that Pluto was not so big. As Pluto's small size became clearer and clearer, some people began to say that it shouldn't be listed as a planet. Then when Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO) were discovered, this added fuel to the debate. It would be a lot easier for scientists to study the KBO data if Pluto and Charon were classified as KBOs rather than a planet with moon. While most scientists appear to lean toward Pluto's keeping its classification as a planet, and toward our own Moon's NOT being listed as a planet, i myself lean the other way in both cases. While Asimov agreed that our Moon should be listed as a planet, he didn't go along with changing Pluto's status. BUT, Asimov was not aware of KBOs. Had he known about KBOs, Isaac Asimov might have changed his mind. If you cannot find a copy of his article, don't be too concerned. I have a copy and will write an article titled... *PLUTO* - from Gas Giant to Comet Wannabee You are invited to read this at your leisure! happy days and... starry starry nights! -- Do you have yourself a dream? Are you burning with desire? If no dream, you have no steam To fan your ember into fire! Do you have yourself a dream? Paine Ellsworth |
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