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Discovery of Pluto Reaches 75th Anniversary



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 4th 05, 11:54 PM
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Default Discovery of Pluto Reaches 75th Anniversary

http://www.lowell.edu/press_room/rel...PL_75_rls.html

Lowell Observatory
For Immediate Release

February 3, 2005

contact:
Steele Wotkyns
(928) 233-3232


Discovery of Pluto Reaches 75th Anniversary

Flagstaff, AZ - The planet Pluto turns 75 this month. Clyde Tombaugh
discovered the ninth planet in the solar system on the afternoon of
February 18, 1930 while he meticulously examined a pair of deep sky
photographs at Lowell Observatory. Tombaugh exposed the photographs on
two nights in late January using the Observatory's 13-inch Abbott
Lawrence Lowell Telescope. Then, as part of the carefully planned and
executed planet search, Tombaugh "blinked" the two exposures using a
machine called a comparator, looking for motion of objects captured on
film.

"One need only visit Lowell Observatory and view copies of the
discovery
images through the same eyepiece used by Clyde Tombaugh to appreciate
what a remarkable discovery this was," said Bob Millis, Director. "The
images are extremely faint and testify to the skill, concentration, and
dedication that Clyde Tombaugh brought to his work."

Lowell Observatory's search for a ninth planet was begun by founder
Percival Lowell in 1905. While Dr. Lowell did not live to see the
discovery of Pluto, the Observatory made the official announcement of
the discovery on Percival Lowell's birth date, March 13, 1930. After
many suggestions, Pluto was selected as the name for the new planet. As
an added plus, the astronomical community adopted a symbol for the
planet that also was a combination of Percival Lowell's initials.
Eleven-year-old Venetia Burney from Oxford, England suggested the name.

Several Lowell Observatory astronomers continue to study Pluto,
including Marc Buie and Will Grundy. Marc Buie has studied the cold,
dark outer regions of the solar system - with a special interest in
Pluto
- since the early 1980s. Buie is conducting a long-term project to
monitor Pluto's brightness changes on decade, or longer, time scales.
One of his recent, ongoing projects is aimed at producing a new
generation of Pluto maps based on images taken with the Hubble Space
Telescope. Buie has developed a small, high-performance computing
cluster for this project at the Observatory.

Will Grundy, Lowell Associate Astronomer, studies icy surfaces of outer
solar system objects including Pluto, the icy satellites of giant
planets, centaurs, and Kuiper Belt Objects. Grundy is a science team
member on NASA's New Horizons: A Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission.

"In the past decade, we have progressed from thinking of Pluto as a
barely resolved 14th magnitude point of light to seeing it as a unique
world with complicated seasonal cycles and with surface regions
exhibiting diverse appearances and chemical compositions," Grundy said.

To complement the astronomy research that includes these ongoing Pluto
studies, Lowell Observatory maintains an active educational and
outreach
program. The Observatory will present a Pluto 75th anniversary program
on the evening of Friday, February 18 as part of its regular evening
programs. The nighttime program consists of a special Cosmic Cart at
7:45 p.m., a series of demonstrations particularly suitable for
children. This will be followed by a lecture about Pluto at 8:30 p.m.
The Observatory opens at 7:30 p.m. and telescope viewing will occur
throughout the evening, weather permitting. For more information, visit
www.lowell.edu/Public/Info/Specials.html .

In addition to its Pluto research, Lowell Observatory has ongoing and
long-term programs to identify near-Earth asteroids, survey a region of
the solar system beyond Neptune known as the Kuiper Belt, conduct
decades-long research on the sun and sun-like stars, study comets,
search for extrasolar planets, and pursue a variety of astrophysical
investigations. The Observatory is also building the Discovery Channel
Telescope, a partnership with Discovery Communications that will
produce
a versatile, powerful 4.2-meter telescope.

Lowell Observatory's mission is to pursue the study of astronomy,
especially the study of our solar system and its evolution; to conduct
pure research in astronomical phenomena; and to maintain quality public
education and outreach programs to bring the results of astronomical
research to the general public. The Observatory was founded in 1894.
Visit www.lowell.edu .


end

  #2  
Old February 5th 05, 07:26 AM
Henry Spencer
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In article .com,
wrote:
http://www.lowell.edu/press_room/rel...PL_75_rls.html
Eleven-year-old Venetia Burney from Oxford, England suggested the name.


A small correction: she was the *first* person *other than* Lowell
Observatory staff to suggest that particular name, according to Tombaugh's
account of how the name was chosen.

(He says that of the many suggestions for names, the three that were clear
favorites among astronomers in general and at Lowell in particular were
Minerva, Cronus, and Pluto. Minerva would probably have won, had it not
been recently given to an asteroid. Cronus would have been considered
seriously, had it not been initially proposed by "a certain detested
egocentric astronomer". Pluto was free of such complications, and had the
attractive bonus that it began with Percival Lowell's initials. Other
names were considered, but the bad example of Uranus -- which had three
different names before everyone settled on one -- encouraged picking a
name that was appropriate and had wide support, so it would stick.)
--
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend." | Henry Spencer
-- George Herbert |
  #3  
Old February 5th 05, 03:26 PM
Pat Flannery
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Henry Spencer wrote:

Other
names were considered, but the bad example of Uranus -- which had three
different names before everyone settled on one.


I know about Uranus and Herschel; what was number three?

Pat
  #4  
Old February 5th 05, 04:34 PM
Gaspard de la Nuit
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"Pat Flannery" wrote

names were considered, but the bad example of Uranus -- which had three
different names before everyone settled on one.


I know about Uranus and Herschel; what was number three?


Georgium Sidus, or something like that.
In honor of George III, King of England at the time and benefactor of
Herschel.



  #5  
Old February 5th 05, 05:05 PM
Henry Spencer
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In article ,
Pat Flannery wrote:
...but the bad example of Uranus -- which had three
different names before everyone settled on one...


I know about Uranus and Herschel; what was number three?


Herschel originally named it "Georgium Sidus", i.e. George's Star, after
the then king of England. That did not go over very well elsewhere in
Europe.
--
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend." | Henry Spencer
-- George Herbert |
  #6  
Old February 5th 05, 05:05 PM
Anthony Frost
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In message
Pat Flannery wrote:



Henry Spencer wrote:

Other
names were considered, but the bad example of Uranus -- which had three
different names before everyone settled on one.


I know about Uranus and Herschel; what was number three?


Herschel originaly called it "Georgium Sidus".

Anthony

  #7  
Old February 5th 05, 05:22 PM
Christopher M. Jones
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Pat Flannery wrote:
Henry Spencer wrote:

Other
names were considered, but the bad example of Uranus -- which had three
different names before everyone settled on one.


I know about Uranus and Herschel; what was number three?


"Pepsi Presents, The Wachovia Planet (Retirement is a Journey,
do you have directions?)"
  #8  
Old February 5th 05, 08:17 PM
richard schumacher
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In article ,
(Henry Spencer) wrote:

In article .com,
wrote:
http://www.lowell.edu/press_room/rel...PL_75_rls.html
Eleven-year-old Venetia Burney from Oxford, England suggested the name.


A small correction: she was the *first* person *other than* Lowell
Observatory staff to suggest that particular name, according to Tombaugh's
account of how the name was chosen.

(He says that of the many suggestions for names, the three that were clear
favorites among astronomers in general and at Lowell in particular were
Minerva, Cronus, and Pluto. Minerva would probably have won, had it not
been recently given to an asteroid. Cronus would have been considered
seriously, had it not been initially proposed by "a certain detested
egocentric astronomer".


Anyone know who that was? Lowell himself?
  #9  
Old February 5th 05, 08:44 PM
Greg Hennessy
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In article ,
richard schumacher wrote:
(He says that of the many suggestions for names, the three that were clear
favorites among astronomers in general and at Lowell in particular were
Minerva, Cronus, and Pluto. Minerva would probably have won, had it not
been recently given to an asteroid. Cronus would have been considered
seriously, had it not been initially proposed by "a certain detested
egocentric astronomer".


Anyone know who that was? Lowell himself?


I don't know, but my guess would be TJJ See.



  #10  
Old February 5th 05, 09:00 PM
robert casey
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Herschel originally named it "Georgium Sidus", i.e. George's Star, after
the then king of England. That did not go over very well elsewhere in
Europe.


I see that kissing the boss's ass is a time honored
tradition in human history... :-) But why "Uranus"?
This name makes every junior high school science class
student giggle and laugh..... "What's the diameter of
Uranus?" Beavises and Buttheads across the nation would
ask.
 




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