Pluto demoted, no longer considered a planet
David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor


Pluto was shafted by the world's astronomers today, demoted to the lowly status of "dwarf planet" and leaving the solar system with its original eight true planets plus countless other objects that must now be called "small solar system bodies." After more than two years of controversy that started when astronomer Mike Brown of Caltech announced his team had discovered a "10th planet" and was finding many more far out in the icy region billions of miles beyond the sun where comets are born, the International Astronomical Union voted a set of rules defining just what a planet is and what it's not.

Delegates to the Union meeting in Prague and representing 9,000 members decided that everything in the heavens that's massive enough for its own gravity to keep it roughly round is henceforth officially a planet.

Ceres, round and firm and fully packed, is the largest object in the asteroid belt where thousands of rocky chunks mostly orbit the sun between Mars and Jupiter, and many astronomers wanted to call it a full-fledged planet. But now it's only a dwarf planet, the IAU decided.

And Pluto's moon Charon, which the astronomers had first decided to link to Pluto and call a "double planet," also joined the lowly status of dwarf planet.

And so do all the objects Brown's team discovered -- the ones with unofficial names like Xena and Sedna and Quaoar -- they're all "dwarf planets" now, too.

Said Brown in a television interview with reporters from his office at Caltech in Pasadena:

"Scientifically, it's the right decision, it's sensible, it's acceptable and it's streamlined. There may be a lot of gnashing and wailing because Pluto is demoted, but Pluto overwhelmingly is not a planet, and it was a mistake to call it one when it was discovered more than 75 years ago."

Now what are we supposed to do. What if your Astro chart revolves around Pluto? What about all we were taught in grammar school? Is it all meaningless?! Man, we are fuc*#! now!

Pluto Drive - By Siouxsie/Creatures

Let's go to Pluto, the atmosphere's clear
We'll be really cool there with nothing to fear
Let's go to Pluto, it's cold and it's damp
Where children are heroes, death is high camp
I want to see Pluto... I want to have fun
I want to turn blue under an alien sun
Oh let me see Pluto, it seems such a gas
With oceans of methane and petrified grass
Let's go to Pluto
Let's live on the dot
See the bad moon rising in a lunacy knot
Come one let's do Pluto
It's really not far
An unleaded dream drive to the prettiest star
I want to see Pluto, but maybe I'll wait
'Til the world turns to meet its plutonium fate
The days will be long here, the years will be more
Let's go to Pluto like we did before
Let's go to Pluto
Let's live on the dot
See the bad moon rising in a lunacy knot.

It's SO pretty!

:rip: Pluto

to scorpios! they don't have no pla--net! they don't have no pla--net!



which only means that scorpio will have to share mars with aries again.

I actually felt a pang of sadness when I heard this

Already a thread http://www.prince.org/msg/100/200158