Poor old Pluto!

Pyan

Hinc videre possum domum tuam...
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An artist's concept of Eris and its moon

Pluto has suffered yet another blow to its status.


Not only has it been demoted from planet to "dwarf planet", research now shows that it cannot even lay claim to being the biggest of these.

A study has confirmed that the dwarf planet Eris - whose discovery prompted Pluto's relegation from planet to dwarf - outranks it in mass.




More here:

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Pluto status suffers another blow

Love the difference between the actual photograph of Eris, and the "artist's concept"!:D
 
I'll always think of it as such, I must admit. But technically, given the (finally agreed upon) definition of the word... no, it isn't. *sigh* Lord, I feel like an old fossil at this point....:eek:
 
Well, just think of poor old Eris. Pluto is smaller but was discovered first and then stole all its glory. All those years poor old Eris had to wheel in its dark orbit with no one noticing...

*ahem*

Pluto just doesn't fit well with the other 8 planets in terms of size or orbital parameters. It does fit in with the class of objects making up the Kuiper Belt.

People are sad that it no longer is called by a still rather fuzzy description of 'planet' but I think it's better to focus on how many more wonderful objects are out there. Ok, Pluto isn't a unique little planet anymore, but now we have lots and lots of roughly Pluto sized objects (one bigger, some about the same size, and a bunch smaller) to investigate and ponder about. To concentrate on Pluto alone is to miss the wonder of the outer solar system.
 
There's also the fact that, for the rest of his lifetime, Tombaugh got to bask in having discovered the thing -- still an amazing feat, considering the circumstances, when such a task was much more difficult.....
 
Hi JD
Whatever it's designation,will we ever get there?
Or will we be confined to the cradle of mankind.
A certain person has altered/improved my mood from sombre to merely philosophical
Thanks...
ooh almost gave it away:)
I would personally be glad if we make it to Mars during my lifetime
 

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