Pluto loses planetary title
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 08/25/2006
sponsored by
There are no more pickles in space.
After a heated debate among the world's astronomers, Pluto is no longer a planet after being discovered in 1930, which will cause a change to the childhood learning tool, "my very educated mother just served us nine pickles."
The International Astronomers Union General Assembly met in Prague Thursday and at the end of the gathering, only eight classic planets remained.
Matthew Lister, professor of astronomy, said personally, he is OK with it.
"I've always felt that Pluto is odd in a number of respects," said Lister. "It's smaller than our own moon; several other moons in our solar system are bigger than Pluto and those aren't planets."
The debate of Pluto has been heated. Lister said Pluto's fate was decided after a new object, Xena, or 2003 UB-313, was discovered.
"It's bigger than Pluto, so if Pluto was to stay a planet then Xena would be too," said Lister.
Pluto is now a dwarf planet, a new category of spatial objects. But some people aren't OK with the demotion of Pluto as a planet.
Jon Guthrie, a senior in the College of Science, said he is moderately indifferent to Pluto being "stripped of the planetary status.
"I found out while I was perusing Google under the science headlines," said Guthrie. "In my world, I truly believe there are nine and I think it keeps me balanced."
Guthrie never really used the mnemonic device to remember the planets, he said he just knew them.
And now that there are only eight planets, it is evidence that science can dynamic.
Lister said that you can't make everyone happy when there is change, but it let's the public know about science.
"This might not be the final word on this," said Lister. "But in a way, it's a way to illustrate to the public that science is always changing."