Does size matter?

glatt • Aug 24, 2006 11:28 am

You probably heard they were talking about yanking Pluto off the stage. Well, today the axe fell. It's not a planet any more. Time to re-learn the planets.

To answer the title of the thread, size doesn't matter so much. In Pluto's case, it was demoted because it didn't clear its orbit of other planets. Namely Neptune. Their orbits overlap. I don't exactly understand why Neptune didn't get demoted for not clearing its orbit of Pluto, but there you go. It's probably the Neptune bias of those French judges, I think.

glatt • Aug 24, 2006 11:34 am

Scientific American wrote:
A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

Bodies that meet criteria (a) and (b) but not (c) are "dwarf planets". The IAU turned down a proposal to name transneptunian objects "plutonian objects."

headsplice • Aug 24, 2006 12:17 pm

glatt wrote:
Does size matter?

Of course not! It's the motion of the ocean, not the size of the wave!

9th Engineer • Aug 24, 2006 1:49 pm

Time to merge the two threads on this topic before people get cranky me thinks.

glatt • Aug 24, 2006 1:55 pm

It's my fault really. Trying to use a clever title.

Brooke of the Land • Aug 24, 2006 3:57 pm

Sooo.... "Mama very easily made John some unbelievably nutty pie" won't work anymore. What is mama going to make for Jonn now?

xoxoxoBruce • Aug 24, 2006 10:22 pm

Does this mean it's going to dark at night?:rolleyes:

lumberjim • Aug 24, 2006 10:36 pm

Brooke of the Land wrote:
Sooo.... "Mama very easily made John some unbelievably nutty pie" won't work anymore. What is mama going to make for Jonn now?

Mama very easily made John some unbelievable Narcotics?

Urbane Guerrilla • Aug 29, 2006 2:21 am

Nachos, Brooke. See in Home Base.

The local paper announced a mnemonic contest. Nachos are popular so far.