Pluto, planet or not?

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shortylickens

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,082
136
In your heart, do you still think of it as a planet and will you always?

Do you acknowledge its official change?

What is it officially? A mega-asteroid? A moon with no planet?

Discuss.
 
Jeff7

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
20
81
Don't mind, don't care. "Planet" is just a label created by us. It's still Pluto, it's still there, the same object it's been since before humans existed, and regardless of what it's called, it's still got the honor of having a probe being sent to it on a flyby mission. It is a Kuiper Belt object - it's among a collection of objects which share a 3:2 orbital resonance period with Neptune.
Is "planet" an appropriate title? Jupiter's satellite, Ganymede, is larger than Mercury, but, at least classically, it was never called a planet, only a satellite.

It amuses me that so many people got all in a fit because of Pluto. Most of them probably couldn't name the planets in order, most of them probably don't know how many boosters the shuttle has, etc etc - they don't know a thing about the Solar System or space exploration in general. But in this culture with competitions constantly in the media, now, "OMG, Pluto's been demoted? NOOOOOO!!!1!!!" Like they really cared in the first place.
 
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mrkun

Platinum Member
Jul 17, 2005
2,177
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It's just a large Kuiper Belt object like one of the above posters said. There are a number of other objects in the Belt (that we know of) that are about the same size as Pluto; so, we could either expand the number of plants to 13 or so -- and include any further discoveries of large KB objects -- or simply remove Pluto. The astronomers made the right choice.
 
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SlitheryDee

After I found out that Pluto wasn't a planet I flew up and asked it what it thought about that. Rest assured, Pluto is perfectly fine with its current status. I told it that I couldn't live while it wasn't officially a planet, and it gave me that icy stare that only Pluto can give. I flew back feeling much better about the universe in general...
 
Jeff7

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
20
81
Originally posted by: IcebergSlim
Astronomy is for the most part completely irrelevant
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Bah, I gave a speech (for a required course, Effective Speech) not long ago about the importance of pure science, and I don't care to transcribe it right now. Long story short: listen to or read anything that Carl Sagan's written. Or at least Google "reflections on a mote of dust."

It helps us to learn about our surroundings, and to learn our place in the Universe. NASA and the space program, in trying to explore other planets and space itself, often turn out technological spinoffs, some of which find use in the medical field, or can lead to safety improvements in other sectors. Hardly irrelevant.
Maybe if I can find some other relevant postings of mine, I'll paste them in here.


The closing from that speech:
"What is this pure science about? It's about exploration, it's about discovery, it?s about seeing how limiting our boundaries as a species really are. In many cases, it can have very practical applications, sometimes found accidentally. From distant ancestors who chanced upon the discovery of creating fire at will, from striking flintrock together, to humans today who channel that fire to send robotic explorers to distant worlds, there has always been within us a quest to discover, and to push ourselves over new horizons. It?s a quest to learn more about ourselves, what we can do, and where we can go."
The professor thought that that was a quote which I forgot to attribute to Carl Sagan. Nope, all me. :)

 
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mrkun

Platinum Member
Jul 17, 2005
2,177
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Originally posted by: Jeff7
The closing from that speech:
"What is this pure science about? It's about exploration, it's about discovery, it?s about seeing how limiting our boundaries as a species really are. In many cases, it can have very practical applications, sometimes found accidentally. From distant ancestors who chanced upon the discovery of creating fire at will, from striking flintrock together, to humans today who channel that fire to send robotic explorers to distant worlds, there has always been within us a quest to discover, and to push ourselves over new horizons. It?s a quest to learn more about ourselves, what we can do, and where we can go."
The professor thought that that was a quote which I forgot to attribute to Carl Sagan. Nope, all me. :)
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Very nice. I'm saving your quote.

To IcebergSlim: Astronomy's extremely relevant if a giant asteroid is coming our way.
 
T

TreyRandom

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2001
3,346
0
76
Originally posted by: shortylickens
Topic Title: Pluto, planet or not?
Topic Summary: What is it in your eyes?
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What is it in my eyes? Pretty darn painful. Put a big chunk of rock in your eyes and see how you like it!
 
DangerAardvark

DangerAardvark

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2004
7,559
0
0
Originally posted by: shortylickens
In your heart, do you still think of it as a planet and will you always?

Do you acknowledge its official change?

What is it officially? A mega-asteroid? A moon with no planet?

Discuss.
Click to expand...

What the fuck would a planet be doing "in my heart"? My heart barely has enough room for my mom and my dog, and now you wanna put a planet in there? Fuck off.
 
T

Tylanner

Diamond Member
Sep 18, 2004
5,481
2
81
It's as much a planet as I am.

What is a planet, its just a word.

I know one thing, PLUTO IS USELESS.



 
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invidia

Platinum Member
Oct 8, 2006
2,151
1
0
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
It's Mickey's dog. Think of where we would be if it had never been discovered.
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Why did Mickey break up with Minnie?

Cause she was fucking Goofy
 
shortylickens

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,082
136
I love OT Night Crew. My plan suceeded.
I honestly thought I would get these answers and I was right.


NEXT WEEK: What should Christina name her baby?
 
MmmSkyscraper

MmmSkyscraper

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2004
9,472
1
76
Originally posted by: Joemonkey
what does rick astley say about it?
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I don't think he's ever gonna give it up. He'd certainly never run around and desert it. He wouldn't make it cry, wouldn't say goodbye, and he'd definitely not tell a lie and hurt it.
 
MmmSkyscraper

MmmSkyscraper

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2004
9,472
1
76
Originally posted by: Tylanner
It's as much a planet as I am.

What is a planet, its just a word.

I know one thing, PLUTO IS USELESS.
Click to expand...

There's these things called dictionaries that explain what words mean.
 
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