"The distant, ice-covered world is no longer a true planet, according to a new definition of the term voted on by scientists today.

"Whoa! Pluto's dead," said astronomer Mike Brown, of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, as he watched a Webcast of the vote. "There are finally, officially, eight planets in the solar system."

In a move that's already generating controversy and will force textbooks to be rewritten, Pluto will now be dubbed a dwarf planet.

But it's no longer part of an exclusive club, since there are more than 40 of these dwarfs, including the large asteroid Ceres and 2003 UB313, nicknamed Xena—a distant object slightly larger than Pluto discovered by Brown last year.

"We know of 44" dwarf planets so far, Brown said. "We will find hundreds. It's a very huge category."

A clear majority of researchers voted for the new definition at a meeting of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Prague, in the Czech Republic. The IAU decides the official names of all celestial bodies.

The tough decision comes after a multiyear search for a scientific definition of the word "planet." The term never had an official meaning before.

What Is a Planet Today?

According to the new definition, a full-fledged planet is an object that orbits the sun and is large enough to have become round due to the force of its own gravity. In addition, a planet has to dominate the neighborhood around its orbit.

Pluto has been demoted because it does not dominate its neighborhood. Charon, its large "moon," is only about half the size of Pluto, while all the true planets are far larger than their moons.

In addition, bodies that dominate their neighborhoods, "sweep up" asteroids, comets, and other debris, clearing a path along their orbits. By contrast, Pluto's orbit is somewhat untidy.

The new definition also establishes a third class of objects that orbit the sun—"solar system bodies," which would apply to many asteroids, comets, and moons.

The new definition of "planet" retains the sense that a true planet is something special.

"It's going to be hard to find a new planet," Brown said. "You'd have to find something the size of Mars. Finding a new planet will really mean something."

Source

So what do you think? Should Pluto have been taken off the list of planets? Do you consider Pluto a planet yourself? Doesn't it feel weird that in your time there use to be nine planets and now there is only eight?

I will personally miss Pluto myself.

Question:
Do you think Pluto should have been taken off the lists of planets in our Solar System?

Choices:
Yes, it definately does not comply with all of the planet requirements.
No, I don't agree with it.
What?! You mean to say Pluto is no longer a planet?! When did this happen?!
Wait, we're not talking about Pluto the cartoon character, right?
I could really care less.

 

quote:

...I've only eaten seven brains!!

But how?! I barely got mine and I've eaten 13, you've had yours for so long.

Or mythology.


...I've only eaten seven brains!!

Hahaha. I think you've been looking to much in to this zombie brain eating website, Shade.

Hades is going to have something to say about this. I'm just waiting for a bunch of dead people to crawl out of the Underworld and mutilate some poor astronomer who supports this blatant and dastardly lie.

Hahaha. That's awesome, Clpo. Thanks for sharing. :P

Pluto has its own thing to say on the matter.

I PASSED PHYSICS 120 (introduction to Astronomy)

D- <--- Atleast I got credit for it

Lost about what?

youthvoice u still out there? im lost

Sorry to hear that Triss.

FUCK astronomy... I just did my final for Phys 120. i'm pretty sure I failed it, I never want to think about planets again...

So what do you think then Maya? About Pluto that is...

ok just wanted to know that!

quote:

I thought this happened a while ago, or is it just that now it's official?

Yeah, it did happen some time ago. But I was thinking about it and I looked around the boards to see if a thread had been started and couldn't find one. So I decided to start one myself. I'm bit fascinated by astronomy. :P

Poor Pluto, I still consider it a planet.
Facts of science will never change my point of view.*sarcasm

I thought this happened a while ago, or is it just that now it's official?

Even though it has been debated back-and-forth hotly for a while, I don't think it's much more than some liking the way they grew up with it.

That said, I think it would be kinda sad to find a new (or any) star that "doesn't have planets" because the orbiting bodies don't meet a size requirement.