Pluto loses status as a planet - Page 16

01101001 · #**451** (**permalink**) 22-May-2008, 12:01 AM

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.

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:

“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.

Cage match! Two astronomers enter, one sees stars!

What is a planet?

laurele · #**452** (**permalink**) 22-May-2008, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 01101001

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

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:

Cage match! Two astronomers enter, one sees stars!

What is a planet?

I've registered to attend this conference and am looking forward to it tremendously.

parallaxicality · #**453** (**permalink**) 22-May-2008, 07:31 AM

Man, the two hardest nuts in this farce squaring off. I'd love to see the weigh-in. Dunno where I'd put my money, but there will be blood. Oh yes. There will be blood.

01101001 · #**454** (**permalink**) 02-July-2008, 05:47 PM

BA Blog: The Great Planet Debate

Quote:

I’ll try to keep track of the [August 14, 15] meeting if I can [...], but you might want to mark your calendars anyway. This will be a wonderful show of scientists talking science, and should be plenty interesting. And maybe I’ll post my thoughts on why hanging labels on things can sometimes help, but can be a bad idea when you let them box in your thinking.

tracer · #**455** (**permalink**) 04-July-2008, 02:01 AM

The contenders in this debate are real heavyweights.

Which is more than I can say for Pluto.

Sticks · #**456** (**permalink**) 04-July-2008, 04:21 AM

Mickey and Donald?

NEOWatcher · #**457** (**permalink**) 21-January-2009, 08:45 PM

A bit of a bump, but apparently Time just found out that Pluto's no longer a planet.

Time: The controversy over demoting Pluto
Actually it's Neil deGrassy Tyson's new book: the Pluto files. But thats the headline on CNN.

Quote:

What, then, is the criteria for a planet?
In our exhibits, we abandoned the word planet as a useful word completely. We don't organize by planet status.

Sounds like a cop out, but...

Quote:

But in science, memorization is not the ticket to understanding, and so, given that fact, why not teach it in a way that fosters insight into the form and structure of the solar system

...Is a good point to make.

Ara Pacis · #**458** (**permalink**) 22-January-2009, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NEOWatcher

A bit of a bump, but apparently Time just found out that Pluto's no longer a planet.

Time: The controversy over demoting Pluto
Actually it's Neil deGrassy Tyson's new book: the Pluto files. But thats the headline on CNN.

Sounds like a cop out, but...

...Is a good point to make.

Which way did NdGT vote?

NEOWatcher · #**459** (**permalink**) 23-January-2009, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ara Pacis

Which way did NdGT vote?

That was my point...he didn't. He just said we should drop the idea of "planet" status altogether.

George · #**460** (**permalink**) 24-January-2009, 05:14 AM

It is a fun book filled with lots of facts and events. I knew I would enjoy it as soon as I saw his Dynascope on the back cover. That was my first scope. [I wondered what happened to it.

]

laurele · #**461** (**permalink**) 01-February-2009, 05:09 AM

Neil deGrasse Tyson was not at the IAU General Assembly and therefore did not vote at all on the Pluto resolutions.

The statement "Pluto's no longer a planet" is not a fact; it's one interpretation in an ongoing debate. Time magazine should treat it that way. Professor William B. McKinnon has a podcast on the Sky and Telescope web site that provides a different view:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/skyte.../38235059.html

Robinson · #**462** (**permalink**) 01-February-2009, 05:22 AM

I bet Pluto stays up nights, fretting over what them humans think.

George · #**463** (**permalink**) 01-February-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurele

The statement "Pluto's no longer a planet" is not a fact; it's one interpretation in an ongoing debate.

How can that be given that the IAU has now defined the term planet, thus forcing Pluto out of planethood since it does not meet these new terms. It is now a "dwarf planet", right?

Of course, it can still be debated and even changed. But, I'd bet a Sundae it ain't ever coming back into the big-league fold.

laurele · #**464** (**permalink**) 02-February-2009, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George

How can that be given that the IAU has now defined the term planet, thus forcing Pluto out of planethood since it does not meet these new terms. It is now a "dwarf planet", right?

Of course, it can still be debated and even changed. But, I'd bet a Sundae it ain't ever coming back into the big-league fold.

The IAU (or in this case four percent of it) can say whatever they want. That doesn't make it reality--especially since many leading planetary scientists have formally rejected the IAU decree.

I'm betting that when all is said and done, dwarf planets will be included as a subclass of planets, meaning Pluto will be back in the "big league fold" but that "fold" will be a lot more broad.

GeorgeLeRoyTirebiter · #**465** (**permalink**) 02-February-2009, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robinson

I bet Pluto stays up nights, fretting over what them humans think.

If it does, Charon could try to comfort it with a song.

Van Rijn · #**466** (**permalink**) 02-February-2009, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurele

The IAU (or in this case four percent of it) can say whatever they want. That doesn't make it reality--especially since many leading planetary scientists have formally rejected the IAU decree.

Well, whatever the IAU (or you, or me, or anyone else) says, it doesn't change reality. It's all a discussion about terminology that ultimately is about the same thing.

Jim · #**467** (**permalink**) 03-February-2009, 04:50 PM

NPR aired an interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson yesterday in which he discussed the Pluto flap. It's worth a read and a listen.

(I am bothered that she kept calling him Mister Tyson. He holds a PhD in astrophysics.)

Robinson · #**468** (**permalink**) 03-February-2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim

NPR aired an interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson yesterday in which he discussed the Pluto flap. It's worth a read and a listen.

He stole one of my lines!

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