Sunday, August 27, 2006
Oh, no, not Neptune!
Pluto row could lead to Neptune losing planet status
A Solar System-Size Headache
...Experts claim that the definition for planets adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) could also see Neptune downgraded.Well, alright then! They'd better get the vote on before all the solar system merchandise has been updated for Pluto's downgrade!
They say that both planets fail to meet all the criteria set by the IAU...
...In the definition set by the astronomers, all planets must now "orbit the Sun, have sufficient mass for its gravity to form a nearly-round shape and have cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit".
Pluto was downgraded as its orbit crosses with that of Neptune, meaning that it was classed as a dwarf planet as it had not cleared its orbit.
But critics claim that the IAU vote, which was passed by a majority, should be abandoned as only around 400 of the union's 10,000 members took part in the vote in Prague last week...
A Solar System-Size Headache
...Affected by the move are stacks of school textbooks, diner place mats, bedroom posters, computer software, glow-in-the-dark mobiles, encyclopedias, and entire museum exhibits depicting the now-obsolete nine-planet solar system. But while it's clear that the change will mean significant replacement costs for businesses in the education industry, other pockets of space commerce are counting on the upsurge of interest in things planetary to generate new growth...Did those scientists ever think about the headaches they're creating for the merchants? Now, all that existing stuff, sitting around in warehouses waiting to be sold, are going to have to be dumped and new merchandise obtained! That's gonna be expensive! I wonder how many of those scientists were bribed? (*I don't believe any scientists were bribed.)
