I rather liked the idea of calling them the 9 Historical Planets..... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Seth Jarvis" <SJarvis@slco.org> To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 04:33 PM Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Pluto's official status It's only a non-issue until you have to start thinking of new mnemonics to teach the names of planets to a hundred thousand kids each year. What'll it be? Option 1. Pluto is still the 9th Planet, but it's the last one: "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas." Or Option 2. Pluto is no longer one of the Solar System's proper planets: "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos." Or Option 3. Pluto _is_ a planet, and so are Sedna, Quoaor, Xena (or whatever) and all the other bazillion Kuiper Belt Objects with diameters greater than 100 km: "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas (and) Strawberry Quiche (for) Xmas (ad infinitum)." We're not ready to go the route of New York and unilaterally demote Pluto (which I think was a mistake), but we will have to do something with our Scale-Model Solar System exhibit if the IAU starts qualifying Pluto's planetary status or granting planetary status to UB313 and the like. Maybe we'll just put a little asterisk next to our model of Pluto and footnote the exhibit with the IAU's press release. Seth Jarvis Clark Planetarium -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+sjarvis=slco.org@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+sjarvis=slco.org@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Canopus56 Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 4:06 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Pluto's official status --- Seth Jarvis <SJarvis@slco.org> wrote:
Have you all seen this?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5631291&ft=1&f=1003 A non-story about a non-issue. So we are going to "officially" go back to the definition of a "minor planet" that has been in practical daily use since the late-1800s, as in Harvard's Minor Planet Center - http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/mpc.html - a website that I use and visit for comets and asteriods about once month. Good press opportunity though. If it gets some kids (including bigger kids like me) to look through a telescope at Ceres (dia. 512km) then I'm all for it. Ceres was at opposition on 8/12, but due to Moonlight wash-out will first be at maximum visibility on around 8/22. One doesn't have to look past Pluto to see a minor planet. - Canopus56 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com