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2003 Ub 313: The Incredible Shrinking Planet?, No bigger than Pluto?
Guest_BruceMoomaw_*
post Jan 31 2006, 09:20 PM
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(Thanks to Emily Lakdawalla):

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/127/1
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Guest_BruceMoomaw_*
post Apr 17 2006, 09:59 PM
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Size makes more sense than discovery date, by any standard (scientific or popular). After all, two planets were discovered after we started discovering asteroids.
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Stephen
post Apr 18 2006, 04:15 AM
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QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Apr 17 2006, 09:59 PM) *
Size makes more sense than discovery date, by any standard (scientific or popular). After all, two planets were discovered after we started discovering asteroids.

IMHO neither make much sense.

But let's suppose for argument's sake some kind of line did get drawn on the basis of size. What happens if KBOs bigger than the agreed line start being found? One or two might well be accommodated, but suppose a dozen or more were found? Are they all to be honoured with the label "planet" or do the goalposts get moved again? (And if the newly found KBOs are allowed the honour why not Pluto?)

This line of argument can be taken further. What happens if KBOs start being found out there which are bigger than Mercury? Do we start calling them planets or does Mercury also get demoted from the "planet" club when the line gets moved yet again to weed out the unwanted?

If there has to be a line of some kind which defines what is a planet and what is not then no matter where you draw it, be it to exclude Pluto or to include Pluto, there surely ought to be some kind of rational scientific justification for putting that line in a particular place. If the position is simply some arbitrary value then what exactly has been achieved by having a line at all, let alone at that particular point?

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Stephen
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Posts in this topic
- BruceMoomaw   2003 Ub 313: The Incredible Shrinking Planet?   Jan 31 2006, 09:20 PM
- - elakdawalla   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Jan 31 2006, 01:20 PM)(T...   Jan 31 2006, 09:36 PM
|- - SFJCody   QUOTE (elakdawalla @ Jan 31 2006, 09:36 PM)Ac...   Feb 1 2006, 12:19 AM
||- - Rob Pinnegar   QUOTE (SFJCody @ Jan 31 2006, 06:19 PM)There...   Feb 1 2006, 02:12 AM
|- - AlexBlackwell   QUOTE (elakdawalla @ Jan 31 2006, 09:36 PM)Si...   Feb 1 2006, 05:48 PM
|- - JRehling   Incidentally, don't forget that Pluto "sh...   Feb 1 2006, 07:17 PM
|- - TritonAntares   QUOTE (JRehling @ Feb 1 2006, 09:17 PM)Incide...   Feb 2 2006, 12:27 PM
|- - Rob Pinnegar   QUOTE (TritonAntares @ Feb 2 2006, 06:27 AM)A...   Feb 3 2006, 07:18 PM
||- - ljk4-1   For what this is worth, Sky & Telescope is now...   Feb 10 2006, 04:52 PM
|- - angel1801   QUOTE (TritonAntares @ Feb 2 2006, 09:57 ...   Apr 12 2006, 02:01 PM
|- - Planet X   QUOTE (angel1801 @ Apr 12 2006, 09:01 AM)...   Apr 12 2006, 04:48 PM
- - MichaelT   I just read that the Max-Planck-Institute for Radi...   Feb 1 2006, 10:32 AM
- - SigurRosFan   Here's the detailed press release: - http://w...   Feb 1 2006, 01:19 PM
|- - David   QUOTE (SigurRosFan @ Feb 1 2006, 01:19 PM)Her...   Feb 1 2006, 01:34 PM
|- - Rob Pinnegar   QUOTE (SigurRosFan @ Feb 1 2006, 07:19 AM)A j...   Feb 1 2006, 02:46 PM
- - Big_Gazza   I have heard a rumour that one of the Mormons secr...   Feb 3 2006, 11:01 AM
|- - Bob Shaw   QUOTE (Big_Gazza @ Feb 3 2006, 12:01 PM)I hav...   Feb 3 2006, 01:24 PM
||- - AndyG   QUOTE (Bob Shaw @ Feb 3 2006, 01:24 PM)Do you...   Feb 3 2006, 03:35 PM
|- - JRehling   QUOTE (Big_Gazza @ Feb 3 2006, 03:01 AM)I hav...   Feb 10 2006, 05:50 PM
||- - punkboi   QUOTE (JRehling @ Feb 10 2006, 10:50 AM)http:...   Feb 10 2006, 05:54 PM
||- - Katie   QUOTE (JRehling @ Feb 10 2006, 10:50 AM)http:...   Feb 11 2006, 08:30 AM
||- - ljk4-1   I like the idea that when you die you get to evolv...   Feb 11 2006, 07:12 PM
||- - ljk4-1   Looks a lot like Europa! UB 313: Larger t...   Feb 11 2006, 09:53 PM
|||- - David   QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Feb 11 2006, 09:53 P...   Feb 12 2006, 03:48 PM
||- - tty   QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Feb 11 2006, 08:12 P...   Feb 12 2006, 07:31 PM
|- - Katie   QUOTE (Big_Gazza @ Feb 3 2006, 03:01 AM) ...   Feb 13 2006, 04:06 AM
|- - ljk4-1   QUOTE (Katie @ Feb 12 2006, 11:06 PM) Bei...   Feb 13 2006, 04:55 AM
|- - Bob Shaw   QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Feb 13 2006, 04:55 A...   Feb 13 2006, 12:05 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   QUOTE (Big_Gazza @ Feb 3 2006, 11:01 AM)I hav...   Feb 11 2006, 08:56 AM
- - BruceMoomaw   If they declare Pluto a planet but 2003 UB313 a no...   Feb 12 2006, 06:08 AM
- - BruceMoomaw   Actually, it's kind of flattering that the Gre...   Feb 13 2006, 11:37 PM
|- - Bob Shaw   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Feb 13 2006, 11:37 P...   Feb 14 2006, 08:57 AM
- - edstrick   "I can't believe I ate the ***WHOLE*** TH...   Feb 14 2006, 10:41 AM
- - dvandorn   Personally, I'd be more worried about your stu...   Feb 14 2006, 03:34 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   QUOTE (Bob Shaw @ Feb 14 2006, 08:57 AM) ...   Feb 14 2006, 10:07 PM
|- - SFJCody   Brown to discuss 'Xena' discovery http://...   Feb 19 2006, 12:34 PM
|- - SFJCody   Amateurs spot 10th planet http://www.spaceflightno...   Feb 21 2006, 10:22 AM
|- - SFJCody   The IAU will publish beginning of September 2006 t...   Mar 4 2006, 10:27 AM
- - BruceMoomaw   Dear God, I hope they don't decide that Pluto ...   Mar 4 2006, 10:48 PM
|- - Bob Shaw   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Mar 4 2006, 10:48 PM...   Mar 4 2006, 10:58 PM
|- - SFJCody   No news for a while, which is kind of a shame. I h...   Mar 19 2006, 10:42 PM
- - Rob Pinnegar   Well, it's only been a month or so since the l...   Mar 20 2006, 05:09 PM
|- - SFJCody   UPDATE! http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/pl...   Apr 11 2006, 05:45 PM
- - ljk4-1   FOR RELEASE: 1:00 pm (EDT) April 11, 2006 Erica ...   Apr 11 2006, 06:08 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   Robert Roy Britt, in his blog on this subject ( ht...   Apr 12 2006, 12:09 AM
|- - Bob Shaw   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Apr 12 2006, 01:09 A...   Apr 12 2006, 12:31 AM
|- - David   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Apr 12 2006, 12:09 A...   Apr 12 2006, 01:22 AM
|- - Stephen   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Apr 12 2006, 12:09 A...   Apr 12 2006, 03:37 AM
- - nprev   The IAU & everyone else has to face up to one ...   Apr 12 2006, 03:41 AM
|- - Stephen   QUOTE (nprev @ Apr 12 2006, 03:41 AM) Wel...   Apr 12 2006, 04:45 AM
|- - David   QUOTE (nprev @ Apr 12 2006, 03:41 AM) The...   Apr 12 2006, 08:28 AM
|- - AndyG   QUOTE (nprev @ Apr 12 2006, 04:41 AM) Def...   Apr 12 2006, 01:46 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   I remain convinced of what I said in 1999: if you ...   Apr 12 2006, 04:51 AM
- - Betelgeuze   QUOTE The problem is that it's easy to say tha...   Apr 12 2006, 05:15 AM
|- - Jyril   PSR 1257+12 B and C are a few times more massive t...   Apr 12 2006, 05:45 AM
|- - Stephen   QUOTE (Jyril @ Apr 12 2006, 05:45 AM) PSR...   Apr 12 2006, 06:05 AM
|- - Jyril   It's the mass that dominates. Even the least m...   Apr 12 2006, 08:16 AM
|- - tedstryk   QUOTE (Stephen @ Apr 12 2006, 06:05 AM) I...   Apr 14 2006, 04:28 AM
|- - BruceMoomaw   QUOTE (tedstryk @ Apr 14 2006, 04:28 AM) ...   Apr 14 2006, 07:21 PM
|- - David   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Apr 14 2006, 07:21 P...   Apr 14 2006, 08:18 PM
|- - BruceMoomaw   QUOTE (David @ Apr 14 2006, 08:18 PM) But...   Apr 17 2006, 06:45 PM
|- - David   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Apr 17 2006, 06:45 P...   Apr 17 2006, 07:17 PM
|- - JRehling   As if this issue hadn't already been faced on ...   Apr 17 2006, 07:59 PM
|- - The Messenger   QUOTE (JRehling @ Apr 17 2006, 01:59 PM) ...   Apr 17 2006, 08:45 PM
- - edstrick   ....it was good enough for Zaljyx, and it's go...   Apr 12 2006, 09:31 AM
|- - David   QUOTE (edstrick @ Apr 12 2006, 09:31 AM) ...   Apr 13 2006, 07:46 PM
- - Decepticon   Here is a image comparison... http://www.nasa.gov/...   Apr 12 2006, 01:24 PM
- - JamesFox   When I read that blog by Robert Roy Britt, I notic...   Apr 12 2006, 01:37 PM
- - ljk4-1   Astrophysics, abstract astro-ph/0604245 From: Mi...   Apr 12 2006, 06:08 PM
- - ljk4-1   Tenth planet as bright as fresh snow It is only s...   Apr 12 2006, 09:37 PM
- - edstrick   "Don't care what the latest rage is...Gim...   Apr 14 2006, 09:50 AM
|- - Bob Shaw   QUOTE (edstrick @ Apr 14 2006, 10:50 AM) ...   Apr 14 2006, 11:51 AM
- - Planet X   I came up with a unique definition according to ma...   Apr 14 2006, 09:08 PM
- - SigurRosFan   Interesting comment: - Comment on the recent Hubb...   Apr 17 2006, 04:52 PM
|- - SFJCody   Brown et al make more measurements with Keck. http...   Apr 17 2006, 06:17 PM
- - dvandorn   Well -- for scientific purposes, it would be far m...   Apr 17 2006, 08:47 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   Size makes more sense than discovery date, by any ...   Apr 17 2006, 09:59 PM
|- - Stephen   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Apr 17 2006, 09:59 P...   Apr 18 2006, 04:15 AM
- - JamesFox   When it comes to 2003 EL61, it's odd shape is ...   Apr 18 2006, 01:56 AM
- - BruceMoomaw   Well, you've got to set the goalposts at SOME ...   Apr 18 2006, 06:40 AM
|- - AndyG   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Apr 18 2006, 07:40 A...   Apr 18 2006, 09:08 AM
|- - ugordan   QUOTE (AndyG @ Apr 18 2006, 10:08 AM) ...   Apr 18 2006, 09:21 AM
|- - David   QUOTE (AndyG @ Apr 18 2006, 09:08 AM) Why...   Apr 19 2006, 08:31 PM
- - edstrick   Also... at all 4 giant planets, there is a clear d...   Apr 18 2006, 10:23 AM
- - edstrick   The arm-waving idea I've posted here before is...   Apr 20 2006, 09:36 AM
- - ljk4-1   Though it is not online, the July 24, 2006 issue o...   Jul 21 2006, 02:40 PM


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