Plutoids: a new class of objects beyond Neptune, Astronomy, politics or damage control |
Plutoids: a new class of objects beyond Neptune, Astronomy, politics or damage control |
Jun 12 2008, 09:44 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 340 Joined: 11-April 08 From: Sydney, Australia Member No.: 4093 |
Article on the BBC website: 'Non-planet' Pluto gets new class
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7449735.stm QUOTE Now an IAU committee, meeting in Oslo, has suggested that small, nearly spherical objects orbiting beyond Neptune should carry the "plutoid" tag. It also goes on to say that not everybody is too excited about it: QUOTE "It's just some people in a smoke-filled room who dreamed it up," he told the Associated Press. "Plutoids or haemorrhoids, whatever they call it. This is irrelevant." -------------------- |
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Jun 14 2008, 05:10 AM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 809 Joined: 11-March 04 Member No.: 56 |
I have long since ceased to care whether Pluto is called a "planet" or not, and while I think "plutoid" is a silly name (and badly formed -- "plutonid" would have been better) it's no more silly or badly formed than a great many scientific names in wide use.
However, I think that the IAU could stand to reconsider what its role in matters like this is: is it to try to represent an existing scientific consensus, or is to to try to create that consensus by fiat? If the latter, can it really be effective, or does it risk undermining its own authority? |
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