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Pluto is a planet again..



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 9th 07, 02:54 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Bill Becker
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Default Pluto is a planet again..

PLUTO IS A PLANET... in New Mexico, at least. Yesterday the state
legislature of New Mexico declared Pluto a planet and March 13th "Pluto
Planet Day." Their decision was based on a combination of tradition, the
size of Pluto, its system of moons, and the location of Clyde Tombaugh's
longtime home: Dona Ana county, New Mexico.




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  #2  
Old March 9th 07, 03:51 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
RMOLLISE
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Default Pluto is a planet again..

On Mar 9, 7:54 am, "Bill Becker" wrote:
PLUTO IS A PLANET... in New Mexico, at least. Yesterday the state
legislature of New Mexico declared Pluto a planet and March 13th "Pluto
Planet Day." Their decision was based on a combination of tradition, the
size of Pluto, its system of moons, and the location of Clyde Tombaugh's
longtime home: Dona Ana county, New Mexico.

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So now the politicans are gonna decide what's a planet and what's not?

Why not, they've done such a WONDERFUL job on everything else.

;-)

Unk Rod


  #3  
Old March 9th 07, 04:01 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Chris L Peterson
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Posts: 10,007
Default Pluto is a planet again..

On 9 Mar 2007 06:51:01 -0800, "RMOLLISE" wrote:

So now the politicans are gonna decide what's a planet and what's not?


Anybody can define something as loose as this. Just goes to show how
stupid it was for the IAU to attempt to do so in the first place (which
I suspect will be corrected in 2009).

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com
  #4  
Old March 9th 07, 04:27 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Shawn[_5_]
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Posts: 70
Default Pluto is a planet again..

Bill Becker wrote:
PLUTO IS A PLANET... in New Mexico, at least. Yesterday the state
legislature of New Mexico declared Pluto a planet and March 13th "Pluto
Planet Day." Their decision was based on a combination of tradition, the
size of Pluto, its system of moons, and the location of Clyde Tombaugh's
longtime home: Dona Ana county, New Mexico.


Pluto is a planet in New Mexico. That'll confuse the kids. :-)



Shawn
  #5  
Old March 9th 07, 06:33 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
lal_truckee
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Posts: 409
Default Pluto is a planet again..

Bill Becker wrote:
PLUTO IS A PLANET... in New Mexico, at least. Yesterday the state
legislature of New Mexico declared Pluto a planet and March 13th "Pluto
Planet Day." Their decision was based on a combination of tradition, the
size of Pluto, its system of moons, and the location of Clyde Tombaugh's
longtime home: Dona Ana county, New Mexico.


Excellent. Now maybe the New Mexico legislature can straighten out that
odd value of pi, and in at least one state engineers will have an easier
time building bridges, needing only to remember "3" and dropping all
those other pointless digits.
  #6  
Old March 9th 07, 06:41 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Eugene Griessel
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Posts: 336
Default Pluto is a planet again..

lal_truckee wrote:

Bill Becker wrote:
PLUTO IS A PLANET... in New Mexico, at least. Yesterday the state
legislature of New Mexico declared Pluto a planet and March 13th "Pluto
Planet Day." Their decision was based on a combination of tradition, the
size of Pluto, its system of moons, and the location of Clyde Tombaugh's
longtime home: Dona Ana county, New Mexico.


Excellent. Now maybe the New Mexico legislature can straighten out that
odd value of pi, and in at least one state engineers will have an easier
time building bridges, needing only to remember "3" and dropping all
those other pointless digits.


And if we asked real nice they may even do something about epsilon.
Perhaps ban transcendental numbers altogether?

Eugene L Griessel

History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
- Thucydides
  #7  
Old March 9th 07, 06:58 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Greg Crinklaw
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Posts: 886
Default Pluto is a planet again..

Chris L Peterson wrote:
On 9 Mar 2007 06:51:01 -0800, "RMOLLISE" wrote:

So now the politicans are gonna decide what's a planet and what's not?


Anybody can define something as loose as this. Just goes to show how
stupid it was for the IAU to attempt to do so in the first place (which
I suspect will be corrected in 2009).


I sure hope not. As it stands the definition adopted is a significant
improvement. My silly legislature aside, it hasn't caused that much
trouble or that much fuss. If they change it significantly 2009, then
and only then, astronomy will become a true laughing stock.

--
Greg Crinklaw
Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)

SkyTools: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html
Observing: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html
Comets: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/comets.html

To reply take out your eye
  #8  
Old March 9th 07, 07:08 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Chris L Peterson
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Posts: 10,007
Default Pluto is a planet again..

On Fri, 09 Mar 2007 10:58:41 -0700, Greg Crinklaw
wrote:

I sure hope not. As it stands the definition adopted is a significant
improvement. My silly legislature aside, it hasn't caused that much
trouble or that much fuss. If they change it significantly 2009, then
and only then, astronomy will become a true laughing stock.


From what I've been reading in journal editorials, there's a pretty
strong opinion in the astronomical community to simply eliminate the
definition completely in 2009. What made the IAU a bit of a laughing
stock in the first place was creating a definition that was both
unneeded and conflicted with existing definitions. I certainly hope they
do the right thing in 2009 and eliminate it. I certainly hope they
_don't_ try to change it, which can only make things worse.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com
  #9  
Old March 9th 07, 07:31 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
AustinMN
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Posts: 234
Default Pluto is a planet again..

On Mar 9, 11:33 am, lal_truckee wrote:
Bill Becker wrote:
PLUTO IS A PLANET... in New Mexico, at least. Yesterday the state
legislature of New Mexico declared Pluto a planet and March 13th "Pluto
Planet Day." Their decision was based on a combination of tradition, the
size of Pluto, its system of moons, and the location of Clyde Tombaugh's
longtime home: Dona Ana county, New Mexico.


Excellent. Now maybe the New Mexico legislature can straighten out that
odd value of pi, and in at least one state engineers will have an easier
time building bridges, needing only to remember "3" and dropping all
those other pointless digits.


Oh, those digits aren't pointless; they are *beside the point*
(specifically to the right of it).

Austin

  #10  
Old March 9th 07, 07:41 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Greg Crinklaw
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Posts: 886
Default Pluto is a planet again..

Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Fri, 09 Mar 2007 10:58:41 -0700, Greg Crinklaw
wrote:

I sure hope not. As it stands the definition adopted is a significant
improvement. My silly legislature aside, it hasn't caused that much
trouble or that much fuss. If they change it significantly 2009, then
and only then, astronomy will become a true laughing stock.


From what I've been reading in journal editorials, there's a pretty
strong opinion in the astronomical community to simply eliminate the
definition completely in 2009. What made the IAU a bit of a laughing
stock in the first place was creating a definition that was both
unneeded and conflicted with existing definitions. I certainly hope they
do the right thing in 2009 and eliminate it. I certainly hope they
_don't_ try to change it, which can only make things worse.



Obviously I disagree. As I've said before the new definition only needs
to have its scientific basis more clearly stated. Personal arguments
aside, it does have a non-arbitrary scientific basis that eliminates a
great deal of practical problems. I for one do not want to read a
newspaper article again about how some group is claiming to have found
another 20th magnitude "planet" as if it were a historic moment! You
let that go on until there are dozens of new "planets" and people will
have every right to laugh at us.


--
Greg Crinklaw
Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)

SkyTools: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html
Observing: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html
Comets: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/comets.html

To reply take out your eye
 




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