"Pluto is dead" - Mike Brown, It's official |
"Pluto is dead" - Mike Brown, It's official |
Aug 24 2006, 01:58 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 531 Joined: 24-August 05 Member No.: 471 |
-------------------- - blue_scape / Nico -
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Guest_Myran_* |
Aug 26 2006, 07:24 AM
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#2
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Guests |
QUOTE ugordan wrote: So was Ceres. Thats correct, Ceres was declared to be a planet at first. One reason for that was that it fitted in the right slot for the idea of the now defunct 'Titus-Bode law'. But also that the size wasnt known. So 1: Demoting one object of the planet label have been done before. 2: It happened when the true size of the object began to be obvious. The same happened to Pluto in a step by step process after Charon had been discovered. The estimated size was downgraded and after the set of eclipses we had a the size nailed down. Yet I agree with Bill Harris that we might have been able to keep Pluto, I would have liked that personally. The only good point I have for that is that Pluto are inside the actual belt of KBO's, but little other pro's. The list of cons starting with the elliptical Neptune crossing orbit & out of the ecliptic gets uncomfortably long - so its not about logic or facts but only 'sentimental' reasons. Now what if someone actually do discover lets say one object in or close to the plane of the ecliptic and a near circular orbit & 5000 km diameter out there? Well even I would give up my stance about that one not might be one KBO's that makes up same belt and depending on how many ways it qualify have to say that it instead are a never finished protoplanet or actual planet embedded in same belt. |
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