Fight for Pluto !, A Campaign to Reverse the Unjust Demotion Options

[mars loon]

Dear Friends,

Today I am extremely dissapointed that the Pluto Demoters have triumphed.

I respect their opinion, but disagree with it.

I strongly agree with Alan Stern's statement calling it "absurd" that only 424 astronomers were allowed to vote, out of some 10,000 professional astronomers around the globe.

This tiny group is clearly not at all representative by mathematics alone.

I believe we should formulate a plan to overturn this unjust decision and return Pluto to full planetary status, and as the first member of a third catagory of planets, Xena being number two. Thus a total of 10 Planets in our Solar System

Please respond if you agree that Pluto should be restored as a planet.

ken

Ken Kremer
Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton
Program Chairman

[Greg Hullender]

Since Mike Brown, discoverer of the erstwhile "tenth planet," truly had the most to lose from this, I really do think it makes sense for people to read his thoughts in support of the eight-planet definition:

http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/eightplanets/

This is quite short -- fewer than 2,000 words -- and fairly easy reading even for a non-technical person. I have a lot of respect for someone who can sacrifice his own self-interest in favor of what he thinks is the best thing to do scientifically. People who want to argue the contrary (that "Planet" should include more than 8 planets) really ought to respond to his arguments first and foremost.

[Alan Stern]

Since Mike Brown, discoverer of the erstwhile "tenth planet," truly had the most to lose from this, I really do think it makes sense for people to read his thoughts in support of the eight-planet definition:

http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/eightplanets/

This is quite short -- fewer than 2,000 words -- and fairly easy reading even for a non-technical person. I have a lot of respect for someone who can sacrifice his own self-interest in favor of what he thinks is the best thing to do scientifically. People who want to argue the contrary (that "Planet" should include more than 8 planets) really ought to respond to his arguments first and foremost.

My reply to Mike Brown is in an interview we did together for Air & Space, see: http://airspacemag.com/issues/2006/october...PlutoDebate.php

Everyone can form their own opinion of his evolving thoughts from this....