Aug. 24th, 2006

mmcirvin: (Default)
...And now the AP says the IAU has gone in the less expansive direction, distinguishing between dwarf planets and real planets and demoting Pluto. I can't tell exactly from the article but it sounds as if there's a qualifier that excludes objects obviously part of a population of similar bodies in similar orbits.

(The article claims that Pluto is disqualified because its orbit "overlaps" Neptune's, but that can't be right without further detail, or it would disqualify Neptune too! I would think that Pluto is disqualified because it's one of a whole population of similar bodies in similar orbits, some of which are of comparable or even greater size.)

June 2025

S M T W T F S
1234567
89101112 1314
151617181920 21
22232425262728
2930     

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 3rd, 2025 12:44 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios