Pluto

Officially classified as a non-palanet and a new classification has emerged called a plutoid by the International Astronomical Union.

A recent entry in the Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy, that has fallen through a wormhole, describes the IAU as "a bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes".

Gotta agree with the Hero. Whether or not Pluto is classified an asteroid or planet or something else is entirely a matter of what is convenient to our understanding, and it matters not a whit what we call it, Pluto is. It simply exists, independent of our classification of it, or even our knowledge of it. What is important is that Pluto was discovered because the orbits of some outer planet(s) was/were not as predicted by Newtonian mechanics based on the orbital mechanics of the Sun and planets known at that time. The existence of an outer planet (or whatever) was postulated to be the disturbing factor, and based on that prediction, astronomers looked for and eventually found Pluto. Newtonian mechanics work, real scientists understand how to use it, and fake scientists scrounging for grants and academic oneupsmanship can squabble about their tempest in a teapot, and no one else cares. emc_c

Just yesterday I heard something that can shed some light on the subject:

"Give three celestial objects to the IAU, and they will find two new categories and one exception."

That's good!

Well, just to be fair, "two new categories and an exception" is pretty much the size of it in the "whatever" zone I mean the Kuiper Belt is full of wierd stuff and they just keep turning up more of it. Most of course is not about to challenge Pluto because of smaller size.

As for the IAU, I actually found it funny that they would rather demote Pluto than have to accept more "planets" into the fold. There has to be some status for the new discoveries, eh. And Eris the cause of it all. heh heh.