Planets again

[mmcirvin]

...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.)

Comments

Won't anybody think of the children?

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

...As for the popular reception, I think what the reaction all boils down to is a simple principle: By and large, people want their children to be taught in school the same things they were taught in school. This applies broadly across political lines, and it doesn't really matter what relation those things bear to reality. This is also why there's all the fuss over history education standards that don't focus on a Parade of Great American Heroes, evolution, the Pledge of Allegiance, etc.