Talk:Pluto

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Prior discussion has been moved to Talk:Pluto_(planet)/Archive1 (to early 2005) and Talk:Pluto_(planet)/Archive2 (to August 2006)

Not a Planet Anymore!

Discuss. I'm sad... I liked Pluto, and was hoping 2003UB313 would get a cool name :(.PhoenixSeraph 13:43, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There's some kind of problem with the tags changes made to note that it's not a planet. Can't fix at the moment but if someone has time it's in the first reference tag. Tom K. 13:53, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Won't someone think of the effect this will have on Sailor Moon?!?!?!?! xD 203.59.184.144 14:20, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Must suck to be pluto right now... should the Pluto article be nominated for deletion? No longer notable... Hejog 14:32, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

On the contrary. It's so notable that they had to invent a new class of solar system objects (Dwarf planets) to account for Pluto! Bluap 14:34, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. The controversy and reclassification of Pluto's status gives us MORE to talk about, not LESS; hence it fully deserves this article. Aprogressivist 14:40, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why delete it? Varuna and Ixion are comparatively insignificant, yet their articles are chock-full of stuff.PhoenixSeraph 15:06, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think Hejog was joking... --Ckatz^chat_spy 16:19, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Seriously, just call Uranus Pluto and the problem is solved. I'm totally not joking dude. --Aelffin 16:25, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is Pluto a Planet?

I found this article http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/09/1047144868646.html if anyone wants to add information from it please do. there are many more articles like this one.

This article is over three years old; it seems less relevant in the light of the decision made today. Aprogressivist 14:53, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Important to note that only 300 of the 2,500 members present even voted. Does a minority voice really matter? I think the majority of astronomers the 2,200 that had accepted pluto as a planet simply ignored the ranting of a small minority that does not really matter.

And only 122 million out of 288 million people in the US voted in the presidential election. What's your point? You've gotta vote to get your voice heard.--Bobblehead 20:24, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

These so called experts at the IAU

Now I might not be an "astronomer" or have "credentials", but I say those big-wigs down at the IAU are too square for their own good :-). They let everyone get excited about the 3 new planets and the dozens of potential ones that could follow. I think it should have been put to public vote - and we admit one new planet each year American Idol style, complete with Simon Cowell's abuse to planets who have irregular orbits. Orchid Righteous 18:18, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pluto: American planet, European Kuiper belt object?

Sorry, but in the light of recent discoveries it appears more than obvious that Pluto is nothing but a (huge) object belonging to the Kuiper belt. Its status as a planet, therefore, has to be considered a whimsical anachronism, and it's rather funny to read through the (more or less) scientific debate on both sides of the Atlantic. In the 1930s, Pluto's classification as a planet was based on insufficient knowledge about the outer Solar System (being understood as its outer edge, rather than the inner edge of the - then unknown - Kuiper Belt). Fair enough, but what is it based on today? American patriotism? 80.145.233.192 00:47, 11 February 2006 (UTC)-[reply]

Historical precedence. I don't see any patriotism or nationalism in the debate at all...--Stephan Schulz 12:34, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The key appears to be that the IAU considered it a planet for historical reasons, and pending their reclassification of it as either "still a planet" or "not a planet any more", it'll still be called a planet in general texts for the time being. Shimgray | talk | 12:38, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I really don't think people wanting to keep Pluto as a planet is a result of OMG evil American patriotism but rather that the idea of it being a planet is stuck in the minds of the public (not so much for the scientists). I'm an American and I always thought it was discovered by a British guy O_o.PhoenixSeraph 13:43, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Now we just need to drop the rest of our historical anachronisms and recognize that everything else in the so-called "solar system" is nothing more than debris floating around a giant reactor. Perhaps we should just call the "solar system" the galactic "dust bin" for now until we can come up with a better name. SHED HISTORY! PLUTO IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE IAU!!! —Two-Bit Sprite 20:27, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikiproject Echo

Template:FAOL There are many similarities between the French and English articles, including numerous passages which are translations of one another. It seems that borrowing of content has already happened. As it stands, it does not seem that there is any additional content in the French article that could be added to the English article. -- Curps 14:52, 6 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Theres more in the German Wiki. I don't know anything in that language though, but it's there.--Planetary 20:28, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pronunciation of Charon

I was surprised to see shair'-ən /ˈʃɛərən/ given as the pronunciation for Charon in the table under Pluto's moons. The Charon article gives both this and kair'-ən /ˈkɛərən/. The Greek name Χάρων can, as far as I know, never be pronounced with sh as the first sound. The letter Χ in Greek stands for a sound that is similar to German ch in ich or Scottish ch in loch, and it's best transliterated by kh. It can be pronounced as k or h or something in-between, but never sh. Can the suggested pronunciation be reliably sourced? Aquirata 09:27, 6 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Changed pronunciation to kair'-ən /ˈkɛərən/. Aquirata 20:57, 8 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Changed it back. Plenty of sources in earlier discussion at Charon article (perhaps archived by now?). Shair'-ən is the common pronunciation of this body among astronomers, as it was among the discoverer and his colleagues. The 'correct' pronunciation of a word is how it is pronounced, and the sh version is by far the more common. kwami 13:35, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pluto Image

Jesus H. Christmas! We can send men to the moon, locate small planets orbiting stars billions and trillions of miles away, perfectly map our galaxy, and have our pet's medication delivered to our door -- but we cannot get one clear picture of Pluto!?--Mdriver1981 02:12, 23 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That is the worst picture of anything I have ever seen on Wikipedia. Caesar 03:40, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's the best picture that exists! It is a long way away... We could run with the slightly older, slightly worse resolution, but not quite as hideous, Image:Plutoncharon1.jpg; Image:Pluto artistimpression.gif is detailed, but heavily conjectural. Shimgray | talk | 12:41, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Even the current image is not a photograph. Even Hubble can't take images at that resolution. The image has been synthetized from brightness curves in two colors during mutual eclipses of Pluto and Charon which occurred between 1985 and 1990.[1] (BTW, why those eclipses aren't mentioned in the article?)--JyriL ^talk 15:30, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Editing

I cleaned-up and edited this Talk page a bit to tighten up the spacing. Also removed some unsigned comments about the planetary statis or lack of. This is not the place for a discussion group on the subject, and if you won't sign your opinions, then they go bye-bye. CFLeon 01:43, 4 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Symbols

I'm sitting here with a 1932 astrological handbook on my desk. Leaving aside their touching faith in Pluto as a source for astrological significance (how did they cope before 1930, one wonders?), the interesting detail is that it uses a symbol I've not seen before. They don't use the PL monogram, unsurprisingly, but they don't use the "circle in trident" symbol here.

Rather, it's a circle with an arrow to the top right - like the symbol for Mars - but with two parallel lines running across the shaft of the arrow (I can only describe it - too small to photograph cleanly). They're using it in text with the other symbols, which suggests they at least considered it standard enough to cut a punch for the symbol. Has anyone encountered this one anywhere else? Shimgray | talk | 13:15, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Like this? [2] (I just drew that based on your description.) Seems familiar, but not for Pluto. Symbols.com doesn't list it. DenisMoskowitz 15:22, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pretty much; slightly "stubbier" and the lines are closer together, but that's probably just an artifact of the small printsize. It is familiar, but I'm damned if I can think where... I've seen Mars-with-one-bar before, as a male-and-female symbol, but not two. Shimgray | talk | 16:18, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you don't mind, who is the author of the handbook? I recall seeing the same or similar symbol when leafing through a work from the same period and being surprised. I don't recall who the astrologer was, but it was someone notable such as Elsbeth Ebertin or Koch. Zeusnoos 16:24, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Raphael's Almanac 1933; don't know who actually wrote it. Shimgray | talk | 16:38, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Since this is a different source from the same time period, I think this symbol must have been an early version of the astrological symbol for Pluto. It apparently did not catch on since astrologers then primarily used the floating circle in a cup beneath a cross. Zeusnoos 17:15, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Copyright violation

http://www.ldolphin.org/unruh/planet/ch4ph.html

--Gbleem 21:57, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Elaborate please. 70.177.71.206 14:02, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

update from IAU and websites to watch

This is from an astronomy mailing list:

"So ... just wait til 8 a.m. CEST Wednesday - and be prepared to be surprised (those planetary astronomers here in Prague who have heard about the ideas put forward in the resolution certainly were).

The resolution, several articles and a detailled Q&A will appear at http://astro.cas.cz/nuncius and also at http://www.astronomy2006.com (including some illustrations as well).

D. from the IAU GA"

Zeusnoos 18:06, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If the resolution passes the article will have to change. Here's a concept. Have fun critiquing.

The Pluto-Charon binary are the tenth and eleventh planets of the Solar system. Pluto recently survived a challenge to its status as a planet and since Charon was of significant enough mass to force Pluto's barycenter with it above the plane of its surface, Charon was redefined as a planet instead of a satellite. Hopquick 05:19, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, they will be tenth and eleventh when this passes... but it hasn't yet. Here's my attempt at a summary of the draft proposal from the IAU. Shimgray | talk | 09:01, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

When Pluto/Charon are the 10th and 11th, who stole the ninth? Or will Luna be promoted as well? ;-) --Stephan Schulz 09:05, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ceres gets promoted too, as does UB313. They've twelve more possible candidates in the outer system, and explicit options on three large asteroids pending further study. Shimgray | talk | 09:07, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For those following the excitement, "If the proposed Resolution is passed, the 12 planets in our Solar System will be Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Charon and 2003 UB313" http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0601/iau0601_release.html Zeusnoos 13:06, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I almost cried when I saw Ceres on the lists of planets. I was more enthusiastic about Ceres than even Pluto. This is an awesome day. The Heavens reveal that we don't yet know everything. ^_^ Hopquick 14:05, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Template:IAU potential planet was removed. Because it was considered "hideous" by one. I think that because it's planet status is uncertain, that it is warranted? comments? McKay 14:26, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

it is not a potencial candidate, potencial candidates are Ceres, Charon and Xena. Not Pluto.--Pedro 14:58, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

the current proposed definition, which has not been finalized, does affect pluto in that it changes it's status. But the real reason I'm putting it here, is that there are other definitions under some level of consideration, some of which would eliminate pluto from having planetary status. Presuming that the currently proposed definition is the one that will be chosen makes wikipedia a crystal ball WP:NOT. The template used the phrase "exclusion" as a parameter, signifiying that the planet is being considered for exclusion. McKay 15:13, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The template was hideous. It was also pointless, because we have better pre-existing templates for this kind of thing. Henry ^Flower 15:26, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sure the template was hideous, what could be done to improve it? Also, the infobox template that I created has more information that might be valuable. I'm thinking that a WikiProject might be created, and an infobox template might be the best place to start. When the final decision is made, there will need to be changes to dozens (hundreds) of articles. McKay 15:40, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We already have a template for articles related to current events: Template:currentrelated. We don't need to re-invent the wheel (especially when the new version's a triangle). Yes, changes will be needed on all the affected articles: by all means make sure they're co-ordinated. But ugly, pointless templates won't help with that. Henry ^Flower 15:49, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The latest from a IAU member (posted on a public astronomy mailing list):

"There has just been the first open debate here at the IAU General Assembly on the proposed resolution in which only planetary scientists (planets of all sizes) took part: The proposal lost, about 60:40, to an alternative put forward by a group of other planetologists (which would have made "being by far the largest object in the local population" plus roundness the criteria for being a planet and thusly excluding Pluto). The term "plutons" was rejected in a 2nd vote by an overwhelming majority, for the linguistical confusion it may trigger (and has already done so in places). None of these votes is binding in any way: It's up to decide for the IAU Executive now to decide on further action ..." Zeusnoos 16:24, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Space.com news article--JyriL ^talk 17:10, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Smallen ze article

There's a suggestion on the article page to smallen ze article... my suggestion is to split off a Pluto and Charon article, that is similar to the Earth and Moon article. Zzzzzzzzzzz 04:41, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

special symbol??

The symbol for Pluto here is different: Alchemical_symbol#Seven_Planetary_Metals. Why is the one in the article different? Should we include both? Why are there variations on planet symbols and who decides which ones are official, etc.--Sonjaaa 16:07, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Astronomers use one; astrologers use another. Simple as that. We already refer to the non-standard astrological one. As to "who decides", no idea... but I suspect the IAU will assume that role. Shimgray | talk | 16:09, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Discovery photograph

The 'discovery photographs' of Pluto need an arrow to show which of the 'stars' is Pluto, because I can't see any difference between them! The Singing Badger 14:18, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Article Vandalized

Someone vandalized this article, does anyone have a back-up? 82.176.194.151 13:51, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Solved 82.176.194.151 13:52, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pluto demoted

I have just heard this news only 3-4 hours after it was announced and having come here to see what I could edit into the article, I see that it has already been done in a fairly well-documented manner. Bravo to the early editors on this interesting ~~astrological~~astronomical news. Here is another source from the BBC on the topic if anyone feels it necessary to add without being superfluous to the article. ju66l3r 15:09, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The sections on the debate re. Plutos planetary status needs to be updated further. -- Egil 15:34, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Astronomical, not astrological. GBC 17:07, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

D'oh. Thanks for the catch, I'm a little hopped up on Advil Cold & Sinus right now. :/ ju66l3r 17:30, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Separation of the church and state, anyone?

So, the new clergy has decreed that it is now blasphemous to refer to Pluto as a planet? I think it needs to be made clear that while any arbitrary body of academics can create whatever rules they like in this regard, the word "planet" is ultimately a subjective term, to be used by individuals as they please. The IAU's authority does not (and should not) extend to the pedantic enforcement of written and spoken language as a means of describing the universe. In this regard, the IAU's decision is inconsequential. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Crk (talk • contribs) .

Instead of using planet, use world in the article and that's solved. --Pedro 15:45, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Whatever. Many scientific terms have non-scientific usage. It's possible that people will continue to use the word planet to describe Pluto, but my feeling is in a generation people will forget about this little blip in history. Just like they forgot about Ceres being a planet. Anyway, changing the term to "world" would not be consistent with common useage in American or British english, so I don't think it would be appropriate. --Aelffin 15:48, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

oh, my god! a body of scientists has defined what a term of scientific jargon that's in popular use means! oh noes! Seriously, this isn't a big thing. "Planet" is an astronomical term which is also in general use; it's been redefined before, most significantly in the 1850s, and the English language didn't collapse. Shimgray | talk | 15:52, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Second planet stripped of its status?

The article says this:

{quotation|Pluto has become the second object in our Solar System to be stripped of its planetary status; the first being Ceres.}

Weren't the Sun and Moon once considered planets? I can't seem to find confirmation of this on Wikipedia, but surely when we thought the Earth was the center of the universe, we must have consdered at least the Sun to be a planet? --P3d0 15:43, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ceres was not alone in being stripped of planetary status - the redefinition only came in the 1850s, when there were fifteen minor planets. See here. Shimgray | talk | 15:53, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've got it! Let's rename "Uranus" to "Pluto"! Kids are happy because Pluto's a planet and we'll finally be rid of that nasty Uranus issue. --Aelffin 16:00, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, everyone knows that Uranus will be changed to Urectum in 2285, finally making efforts towards a, "less offensive," name,... ;-) Dr. Cash 17:29, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wasn't it originally called Herschel? I believe that's German for "Ursphincter". --Aelffin 17:42, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

NPOV attempts

Someone is trying to modify the intro to be a "some people say Pluto is a planet and some don't" thing, which just looks terrible. It's defined as a dwarf planet; we can say (in the appropriate places) that some people still consider it a planet, and we can say that it was historically one, but we can't claim that this is ambiguous. Shimgray | talk | 16:07, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think it's too early to even say "some people still call Pluto a planet". The most NPOV thing we could say and still be accurate is that some people have objected to this reclassification. We'll have to wait a while to see whether the usage acutally changes. --Aelffin 16:22, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The usage will inevitably change. Look at Ceres ... it was redefined as not being a planet in 1850 and we never looked back (well, except for very briefly in 2006). --Cyde Weys 19:31, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Protection?

I saw somebody tried to put this page on semi-protection. Considering the incessant vandalism, maybe this is a good idea. --Aelffin 17:10, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would second this, particularly after reviewing the history page and seeing that a large amount of traffic is from vandalism from IPs and subsequent reversions. Dsf 17:28, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've semiprotected it. Let's try lifting it after a few hours... Shimgray | talk | 17:38, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lawsuit

The article says "Constance Lowell, Percival's widow who had delayed the search through her lawsuit..."

What lawsuit is being referred to?

This article will be moved to...

Just like we call Sedna as 90377 Sedna, Pluto should also have a number.

Since 129,436 such solar system bodies have been numbered, so what if move this article to 129437 Pluto, and move Charon (moon) to (129437) Pluto I Charon?

Yao Ziyuan 17:56, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose - Speculation. --GW_Simulations_{|User Page | Talk | Contribs | Chess | E-mail} 17:57, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We don't even know if dwarf planets will be numbered in future, much less what those numbers would be. Shimgray | talk | 18:02, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Give the poor IAU a chance to relax and have a cup of tea before they start to sort this stuff out. It's their job, not ours. The Singing Badger 18:03, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hear hear! They've been through enough already; it was traumatic for all involved, not just the poor public who can't believe Pluto's not a planet. Hint: Santa Claus might need your attention. Too bad WP:FAITH isn't an official policy in the broader world. --Aelffin 18:17, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But Ceres is also a drawf planet, and it has a number, called 1 Ceres. — Yao Ziyuan 18:20, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And if the IAU gives Pluto a number, then we'll reflect that here. But until then, it's just Pluto. There are plenty of other situations where "extrasystematic" names have been granfathered in--see the "misplaced Trojans" in the Greek Camp of the Trojan asteroids, for example. It's just par for the course. --Aelffin 18:22, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No WP:OR, please. Pluto has had a name since 1930 ... I don't think they'll be changing it anytime soon. A lot of smaller moons in the solar system don't have numbers anyway (Titan, Triton, Titania, et al), so there's some precedent for not requiring numbers on every non-planet. --Cyde Weys 18:18, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Clear its orbit ???

What does the IAU mean by "clear its orbit"? And they say because it crosses Neptune's orbit that Pluto doesn't meet that definition? What does Neptune have to do with it? Does that mean Neptune isn't a planet either, because its orbit crosses Pluto's? In fact, Pluto doesn't get anywhere near Neptune, due to inclination of orbit and some form of resonance.

A CTVNews poll shows a 3-1 majority in favour of grandfathering Pluto as a planet. And I'm not aware that the IAU has assigned a number to Pluto just yet. How about skipping other numbers and going with 193009 - i.e., in 1930, it became the 09th planet. GBC 18:36, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, Neptune is most definitely a planet. Pluto's mass compared to Neptune is absolutely trivial, so Neptune can be considered to have swept its orbit. See this paper for a lot more detail. Warning: real science content. That paper makes an absolutely compelling reason for why Pluto shouldn't be a planet, despite any possible public perception. The degree of difference of orbit-clearing is five orders of magnitude between the eight classical planets and then Pluto. If that isn't a very clear delineation, I don't know what else could be. --Cyde Weys 18:41, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've read the paper (before the descision was made), and I disagree that 'clear its orbit' must neccessarily refers to what the author of this paper was tallking about. If the definition authors wanted to imply what the paper was talking about, they should have used better terminology, like 'has the most mass in it orbital zone by far'. JamesFox 20:18, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It should also be noted that Pluto does not actually cross Neptune's orbit, as in, there is no chance that Neptune and Pluto will actually collide. Because of Pluto's inclined orbit it is actually a good distance above/below Neptune when it moves from farther away from the sun than Neptune to closer to the sun than Neptune. --Bobblehead 19:06, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually it's not the inclination that does it. Inclination just means that twice in every revolution it is at 0 degrees and thus on the ecliptic (where Neptune is). It's the orbital distance that prevents such a collision. See this image for an explanation. --Cyde Weys 19:12, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Eh. Depends what you're talking about, when Pluto crosses the ecliptic or when it and Neptune are the same distance from the sun. Most people have only seen a 2D picture of the orbits and there are 2 points where Neptune and Pluto cross. The assumption being that if Neptune and Pluto were to reach those points at the same time they would collide. Point I was making was that if Neptune and Pluto happen to be at the point on that 2D picture where their orbits meet it's the equivalent of an airplane flying over the top of a person walking on the ground. --Bobblehead 19:43, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It should be noted that by this definition, Jupiter is technically a dwarf planet. There are a number of "trojan" asteroids that are in the same orbit as it. --GW_Simulations_{|User Page | Talk | Contribs | Chess | E-mail} 19:19, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, this is utterly false. Jupiter contains, to many, many orders of magnitude of precision, "all" of the mass in its orbit. Compared to the immense size of Jupiter these little piddling asteroids are nothing. Please, for the love of god, go read this paper rather than furthering misunderstandings about what "clearing out an orbit" means. --Cyde Weys 19:21, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Good on ya, Cyde. It seems like every celestial body article is being edited by people proclaiming either their favorite rock is a planet, or that their least favorite planet "technically isn't". I think most people either haven't read the paper, or their eyes glaze over at phrases like "Hubble time". Rant over. Derek Balsam 19:50, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Even if you don't neglect the Trojan asteroids and other such objects, all the gas giants have cleared their orbits. The Trojans are at very specific points along Jupiters orbit that are defined by Jupiter's gravity. If Jupiter hadn't cleared its orbit they would not be restricted to those points. A massive body collects all bodies near it either into itself, its orbit, its L4 and L5 points with the sun, into resonant orbits, or it ejects them. Its just like cleaning your room. It doesn't mean nothing is in your room, but simply that it's all neatly put away. Linguofreak 19:58, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That is an excellent explanation and even better metaphor. Thank you very much. --Cyde Weys 20:26, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Question

I believe I recall reading once that Pluto's atmosphere extends far enough to be shared with Charon. Is this true? Linguofreak 20:03, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

New Horizons will study this, I think?--Sonjaaa 20:16, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"ninth planet" redirect?

Should it stay or should it go? Starks 20:10, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"prototype of a yet to be named family"?

I'm curious about the "prototype of a yet to be named family of Trans-Neptunian objects" claim in the intro. I thought IAU was going with classifying it as a "dwarf planet" and the type specimen of a Plutino? The sentence is confusing to me, but I don't see how to clarify it. --Graham^talk/mail/e 20:18, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They were going to pass a resolution saying "This is the first of a class of TNOs we will call 'plutonian objects'". Only the first half of this passed; we now have it resolved as the first of a new class of TNOs, the name of which has not yet been decided on (it'll go to an IAU committe, I guess). Plutino was already in use to mean something with a specific resonance, and isn't what they mean - this new class is "big TNOs like Pluto" not "TNOs with orbits like Pluto" Shimgray | talk | 20:23, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What's all the fuss?

So Pluto has been classified as a dwarf planet. So what? A "dwarf planet" is still a planet by virtue of including the word "planet." Sure, it can't in scientifically correct speech be referred to as an unqualified "planet," but it still contains the word. It might be better just to drop the use of unqualified "planet" altogether: There are significant differences between Mercury and the larger rockballs, between the rockballs and the Gas Giants, between the Gas giants and the iceballs, and between the iceballs and Mercury. And it's hard to tell whether Ceres is best thrown in with Mercury or the asteroids. So it might not be good to refer to any object as simply a "planet," but rather, "icy dwarf planet," "gas giant," "rocky dwarf planet," "habitable terrestrial," etc. Linguofreak 20:20, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, a dwarf planet is not a planet, it is a separate classification. There's actually a bit of backlash against the new terminology precisely because it has the potential to confuse people, as it did you. --Cyde Weys 20:22, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]