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Walt O'Reagun

Should we reinstate Pluto as a planet?

But a study announced in December from a team of researchers in the journal Icarus now claims the IAU’s definition was based on astrology — a type of folklore, not science — and that it’s harming both scientific research and the popular understanding of the solar system.

Planetary scientists say "Yes".

Posted - December 30, 2021
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Responses


  • 13395
    Sure! And could even grant Pluto with Royal status to make for hurt feelings of being demoted to non planet status. "His Majesty Planet Pluto".

    Seriously though it does seem entirely reasonable that Pluto is genuinely qualified it's position in the planet category.
      December 30, 2021 12:12 PM MST
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  • 44645
    I don't care what the fungus-brains said, I never considered it not a planet.
      December 30, 2021 2:06 PM MST
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  • 17612
    I miss Pluto.  Bring him home.
      December 30, 2021 5:21 PM MST
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  • 16819
    Not unless you also include Ceres. And Eris, Sedna, Haumea, Quaoar, Makemake and several other similarly-sized objects.
    The delisting of Pluto has absolutely nothing at all to do with astrology (otherwise Uranus and Neptune wouldn't count either, neither were known to ancient astrologers), but that it hasn't cleared its orbit of similar-sized rocks, it's an asteroid. A big asteroid, but still smaller than several moons including ours. Pluto isn't a lot bigger than its major moon, Charon - it wobbles as both orbit a common point that is actually some distance from Pluto's surface.
    That report you mentioned proposes that 150 more objects be reclassified as planets, including several moons and some TNOs that don't even have names, just numbers. I for one don't relish trying to memorise that many.
      December 31, 2021 8:55 AM MST
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  • 6023
    I believe that is exactly what the scientists want.

    One of my friends commented on classifying "moons" as "planets" ... saying "you can't do that."
    Why not?  "Because a planet can't orbit another planet."
    To which I replied:  We know of binary stars, so why not "binary planets"?
    Then we looked it up, and there may be one ... or it may be a pair of failed "brown dwarf" suns.  (The distinction is "blurry", says the scientist.)
      January 3, 2022 10:34 AM MST
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