Planet or not,no big deal!To be honest I was not particularly keen about having the solar system numbering 13 planets as was being suggested prior to the voting.I believe that Pluto's proper place lies with the KBOs.Personally,Pluto has not been demoted or anything.My interest in NH has not dwindled .I would like Pluto to look like Triton of Neptune;Surely that would be interesting provided that NH will have 6 months of observations whereas Voyager just flew by Triton over a matter of days. Wish we had more time with Triton.Hope to be around in 2015 to see the Plutonian system.

Thanks for your feedback Alan,much appreciated.I dont agree with the 'Pluto is Dead' title to this forum.Pluto is more alive than ever.Until recently. no one could ever dream of having a probe flying toward Pluto and perhaps other KBOS.Planet or not,doesnt matter....whats in a name???

Sorry I have been away for a while!Is that THE real ALAN STERN?I have a question:Since Charon,nix and Hydra seem to have originated from impacts with Pluto,would it be reasonable to assume that we should be seeing big impact craters on Pluto,unless of course there is some process that is refreshing the surface to obliterate such major events??What are the predictions if any have been made??

This Migrating Giant theory was clearly discussed on BBC sky at night programme.While N,U and S seem to be migrating outwards,is J supposed to be moving inwards towards the inner solar system?If I understood right,interactions with KBOS seems to be the trigger of this whole migration taking place with Jupiter being the final encounter resulting in KBOS being scattered into the interplanetary space.Would this explain the presence of Phoebe at Saturn??

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My biggest query about Venus is that despite the lack of magnetic field and hence complete exposure to atmospheric erosion by the solar wind,Venus has managed to retain a thick atmosphere.Could this be indirect evidence for continued volcanic activity on the planet??!!

The deepsest features visible are estimated at 55 km above the Venusian surface.Thats according to ESA website.