Old, old topic
revived for unimportant news. I'm an ember fanner. I like the flames... Pretty flames... I'd really hate to see this significant nonissue die.
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory: The Great Planet Debate
Quote:
Top scientists and educators will convene in Maryland this summer to explore a basic, but controversial, question: What is a planet?
The Great Planet Debate (GPD) conference includes two days (August 14-15) of scientific sessions to discuss and debate the processes leading to planet formation and the characteristics and criteria used to define and categorize planets. An open-to-the-public debate between Dr. Mark Sykes of the Planetary Science Institute and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson of the American Museum of Natural History is scheduled on the afternoon of August 14th.
An educator's workshop follows on the third day (August 16th) to provide a forum on how the planet debate can be used to spark scientific inquiry in the classroom.
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To be fair, they're not, like, obsessed with Pluto's status (like some seem to be), but they are leveraging on Pluto's status.
JHUAPL press release:
Quote:
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“No votes will be taken at this conference to put specific objects in or out of the family of planets,” says APL’s Dr. Hal Weaver, a conference organizer. “But we will have advocates of the IAU definition and proponents of alternative definitions presenting their cases.” This includes an open-to-the-public debate between Dr. Sykes and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, on the afternoon of Aug. 14.
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Cage match! Two astronomers enter, one sees stars!
What
is a planet?