I was just curious who here at the BABB thinks that Pluto should not be clasified as a planet. I would do a poll, but I couldn't figure it out last time, so screw it, lol.

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"I don't think I'm alone when I say that I would like to see more and more planets fall under the ruthless domination of our solar system."
Jack Handy

Well, it's got a moon, no?

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"We do not require reality to conform to the expectations of the ignorant"

So does asteroid Ida...

Well, I think we already had too many threads about this subject, the state of Pluto...

the most recent one i've seen
http://www.badastronomy.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=4016

and as for me? i have to sit on the fence here :P

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None to speak of

well actually as soon as I posted that I thought to myself, this was probably done already. Oh well. . .

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"I don't think I'm alone when I say that I would like to see more and more planets fall under the ruthless domination of our solar system."
Jack Handy

In my opinion (as a scientist), I belive that Pluto isn't a planet exactly. But I think that it really doesn't matter, after all its in our solar system, has a recognizable name, and almost every one considers it to be a planet. So frankly it really doesn't matter what you say, all most everyone will still consider it a planet. hmm...maybe I said to much on this issue....oh well

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Fate, chance, destiny, fortune.....There all ways of claiming your success without claiming your failures.

Pluto is a dual-citizen. For now it is considered a planet, but it is also the largest of the KBOs, or TNOs (Kuiper Belt Objects, and Trans-Neptunian Objects, respectively).

I think it will be de-classified as a planet in the near future and just be the first of the Pluto-Class KBOs.

Planet or not, Pluto is a very unique object. It has an atmosphere. What is a gravitationally small object that far out from the sun doing with an atmosphere? It has polar caps. The Earth and Mars are the only other solar system objects with confirmed polar caps.

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Errors using inadequate data are much less than those using no data at all.

----Charles Babbage

The question is, are we basing a "Planet" off of visual characteristics or origin / formation.

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"As I lay beneath the Southern Cross, the stars tell more than I could" . . . David Meece

Welcome to the BABB, Bobolink! You'll enjoy it here, feel free to browse the different subjects scattered about.

Nitpick: "very unique" doesn't exist. Unique is a solitary term, so I've heard. Ah well.

As far as an atmosphere...it has a very thin one, if indeed it does have one. I wouldn't say it has polar ice caps, because the entire surface is frozen.

I think Mercury has permanent ice caps, hidden by shadows to protect from the heat of the Sun.

OK Vermonter. You can call me the Bad Grammarian

However, Pluto does have a distinct north polar cap as imaged by the ESA's Faint Object Camera on the Hubble Space Telescope. A reference is
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gal...ery-pluto.html read the caption for the middle photo.

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Errors using inadequate data are much less than those using no data at all.

----Charles Babbage

Cool, I didn't know that. That's pretty fascinating!

colt's poll, that man on the moon linked to, turned out very nearly fifty-fifty, though recent voting there may have turned it either way.

I'll go with the Transneptunian Object/Kuiper Belt Object scientists. Pluto does not have the same orbital plane and changes position (from 8th planet to ninth planet and vice versa). I think that it is the largest of the Transneptunian Objects and/or Kuiper Belt Objects and that is quite something in itself.

Of course, it will take awhile for the dust to settle. Whatever it is called, will not affect its nature. Whatever it is will not change. What's in a name? Then again, I think that for scientific study, it should be a part of the more recent categories.

For the general public, it is just fine to call it a planet (for now). Whatever we call Pluto, it will remain whatever it is. I prefer scientific judgments over sentimental wishful thinking.

I do not think that this will ever be finally decided. There will always be somebody out there who will steadfastly maintain it is a planet. So there! Take that! And that! And that!

ljbrs :roll:

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"There is in the universe neither center nor circumference." Giordano Bruno Born 1548. Torched 1600.

Pluto is a planet because the International Astronomical Union defines it as such. Now, the real question is: what is a planet? The word is undefined by the IAU.

Some while back, several years ago, as my memory tells me, Brian Marsden of the IAU argued against Pluto's planet status. However, I believe he later went over (was persuaded to go?) to the other (planet)side when public opinion carried the day. The last time I checked (again sometime ago) I noticed that the IAU gave Pluto a dual status, unless that, too has changed back to a planetary status.

However, it all has been very, very interesting from a spectator's point of view.

ljbrs

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"There is in the universe neither center nor circumference." Giordano Bruno Born 1548. Torched 1600.

I think the last time you checked was March, in this post. As you quote there, the IAU has not given Pluto a dual status. They still designate it a planet, only.

As far as I know, there's no convention that prevents it from being both a planet AND a KBO...

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Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen a convention that prevents it from being a Failed Gas Giant either.

My handle says it all =;

Wasn't Pluto shown to be warming recently?

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bunk: Empty talk; nonsense.
de·bunk: To expose or ridicule the falseness, sham, or exaggerated claims of.
http://home.iprimus.com.au/eddo/images/fredheadtsp.gif

I agree. The discussion is moot. It is a planet. The next discussion should be: "Can KBO be accepted as planets?"

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'Sir........, I don't like these numbers.'
'Then hire somebody that can change them!'
("`-/")_.-'"``-.,,
\. . `; -._( );, `)
(v_,)' _ )`-. \ ``'`
_.- _..-/ /((.'
((,.-' ((,/

Yes. Which is a fortunate thing, since the goal is to get New Horizons to Pluto before the atmosphere freezes out.

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Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

That is going to be a long trip I would say. To get all the way to Pluto, from Earth 8-[

Well, it's going to take at least 9 years, and that's with a gravity assist from Jupiter.

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Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.

what is pluto? its a big rock.....thats what it is! :P

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What does it mean the right one? The love of your life, The concept is absurd, the idea that we can only be complete with another person is ...evil,right?

Would that make gas giants big *arts?

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'Sir........, I don't like these numbers.'
'Then hire somebody that can change them!'
("`-/")_.-'"``-.,,
\. . `; -._( );, `)
(v_,)' _ )`-. \ ``'`
_.- _..-/ /((.'
((,.-' ((,/

I see them all as resources to be exploited!

*Runs*

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Quaeso quousque humi defixa tua mens erit? Nonne aspicis, quae in templa veneris?

Never run from profit.

*Runs*

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'Sir........, I don't like these numbers.'
'Then hire somebody that can change them!'
("`-/")_.-'"``-.,,
\. . `; -._( );, `)
(v_,)' _ )`-. \ ``'`
_.- _..-/ /((.'
((,.-' ((,/

*Stops*

*Turns*

Hypocrite!

*Turns Back*

*Runs Faster*

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Quaeso quousque humi defixa tua mens erit? Nonne aspicis, quae in templa veneris?