For the astronomers and astrophysicists amongst us...

[Caradoc]

This was forwarded to me by an old friend... and if you recognize the name "Woz" in the URL, yes, he's THAT Woz.

The Pluto Song

[auld argonian]

Pluto sent down to the minors!

Totally unfair! Planet...planet, planet, planet!

If Jupiter is the Hummer, Pluto is the Mini-Cooper, that's all.

Size doesn't matter.

Best

AA

[Colin]

According to the news, Plutow as demoted (Booooooooo!).

Sad really. How many textbooks, lessons, records, etc now need to be changed.

The funniest thing I've heard so far to today was that they wanted to classify Pluto's moon as a "longtime companion" rather than a moon. Yes folks we have reached the point where political correctness has gone way too far.

[Panache]

According to the news, Plutow as demoted (Booooooooo!).

Sad really. How many textbooks, lessons, records, etc now need to be changed.

The funniest thing I've heard so far to today was that they wanted to classify Pluto's moon as a "longtime companion" rather than a moon. Yes folks we have reached the point where political correctness has gone way too far.

Colin,

The problem is that a moon is held and kept in orbit by the gravitational forces of a planet. Pluto and Charon are too close in mass to each other for it to be said that Charon is orbiting Pluto. Instead they are a binary system with each orbiting about the other like dancing partners in an endless celestial waltz .

As a traditionalist in my heart of hearts I would like to see Pluto remain a planet. But the astronomer in me has to note that if Pluto gets to be a planet, then Xena should be a planet (and then what about Ceres?) Pluto is the closest of the larger objects in the Kuiper belt. A vast cold area at the very edge of our solar system. Planet or not, Pluto and Charon are still well named as the guardians of the darkness beyond.

Here's a link to the article in the SF Gate:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...L&type=science

Cheers

[jjoseph]

BLESS YOU! Best fun / laugh I've had in days!

[Southern Breeze]

Political correctness is indeed at an astronomical level these days.

[Pour1Malt]

cute wee song

ta

[cessna152towser]

I always thought the astronomers would discover more planets - now they tell us there are only 8 and not 9 in the solar system!

[Iolaus]

Last I had heard, they were discussing the issue, but my wife just told me they did indeed downgrade Pluto to another catagory called "mini-planet" or some such nonsense. :rolleyes:

[Kilted KT]

Sounds like a bunch of rediculousness to me. Good thing this is a kilt forum, else this could get real ugly.