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Pluto Top Ten Contest, Is Pluto a Planet or Is It Not?
SigurRosFan
post Jan 6 2006, 12:29 PM
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Planetary Society press release:

http://www.planetary.org/about/press/relea...t_Not__The.html - Is Pluto a Planet or Is It Not? The Planetary Society Seeks Top Ten Lists

--- In honor of the launch of the New Horizons mission, the Society announces a call for the public to speak up and tell us:

The Top 10 Reasons Pluto IS a Planet, or
The Top 10 Reasons Pluto IS NOT a Planet

Even The Planetary Society's own Board of Directors is split, with Chairman Neil deGrasse Tyson wanting to demote Pluto from the planetary ranks and other members of the Board staunchly defending Pluto's status. In the interest of impartiality and public engagement, The Planetary Society is calling for reasons on both sides of the issue. For the next eight days, visitors to the Society's website can share their reasons why Pluto should or should not continue to be ranked as one of the solar system's nine planets. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, January 12, 2006. The final Top 10 Lists will be released prior to the launch of the New Horizons mission. ---

http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/topten/ - Pluto Top Ten

http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/topten/enter.html - Enter the Contest!


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Guest_PhilCo126_*
post Jan 6 2006, 03:43 PM
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Of course ... Clyde TOMBAUGH found PLANET X back in 1930 biggrin.gif
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mars loon
post Jan 7 2006, 09:05 PM
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Some more good tidbits, is that this battle is not completely serious but also open to WIT and HUMOR!

To quote some additional relevant paragraphs from The Planetary Society:

The Top Ten Reasons Pluto IS a Planet
The Top Ten Reasons Pluto IS NOT a Planet

"Although the debate within the planetary community about Pluto's status is serious, the Top 10 Lists on our website do not have to be," said Bruce Betts, The Planetary Society's Director of Projects. "We will be looking for humorous rather than scientific reasons, although reasons that combine both would be a bonus."

That's right, in the interest of impartiality, we are calling for reasons on both sides of the issue. Don't be shy -- tell us why! Be creative, be silly, be witty, you can even be scientific, but that's not required.

The call for entries begins today, Wednesday, January 4 and ends on Thursday, January 12, 2006 at 12:00 noon Pacific time (20:00 UTC). Submissions are limited to five reasons per person per day for each list. A secret panel of judges will compile the final lists, which will be posted on our website prior to the launch of the New Horizons mission".
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elakdawalla
post Jan 11 2006, 07:42 PM
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Just pointing out that this contest closes tomorrow...I DEMAND that you guys go BE FUNNY NOW!!! mad.gif biggrin.gif Seriously, please do your part to help reduce the net number of groans that the final top ten lists will inevitably elicit...

--Emily


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akuo
post Jan 11 2006, 08:12 PM
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But its a serious issue!


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Bill Harris
post Jan 11 2006, 09:30 PM
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<ben_stein>
But we are planetary geologists. Humor is not an option.
</ben_stein>

biggrin.gif

--Bill


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Bob Shaw
post Jan 12 2006, 10:47 AM
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QUOTE (elakdawalla @ Jan 11 2006, 08:42 PM)
Just pointing out that this contest closes tomorrow...I DEMAND that you guys go BE FUNNY NOW!!!  mad.gif  biggrin.gif Seriously, please do your part to help reduce the net number of groans that the final top ten lists will inevitably elicit...

--Emily
*



Emily:

You want silly? You got silly!

Mostly of the 'Pluto floats, so it is a duck, therefore it must be a witch, not a planet' variety!

For the culturally challenged, I also pointed out that Pluto is a dog, not a planet (the Voices told me to say that, though!).

These are not far off some of the 'real' arguments, IMHO.

Bob Shaw


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Guest_BruceMoomaw_*
post Jan 12 2006, 01:11 PM
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According to Alan Stern, it's a planet because it doesn't look like Bizarro World.
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Chmee
post Jan 12 2006, 03:27 PM
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Pluto is a planet because changing all the text books, encyclopedias, and references from the "9 planets of the solar system" to the "8 planets" would be cost-prohibative.
biggrin.gif
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odave
post Jan 12 2006, 04:10 PM
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My entries on both sides of the issue are in.

Here's another that I couldn't get under the 128 character limit and have it make sense:

It IS a planet because we'd want to avoid hearing this from Pluto: "You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a planet. I coulda been somebody, instead of a KBO, which is what I am. Let's face it. It was you, IAU. "

smile.gif


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The Messenger
post Jan 12 2006, 06:33 PM
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QUOTE (Chmee @ Jan 12 2006, 08:27 AM)
Pluto is a planet because changing all the text books, encyclopedias, and references from the "9 planets of the solar system" to the "8 planets" would be cost-prohibative.
biggrin.gif
*

Astronomy's archane nomenclature is one of my pet peeves - Star types, Saturns rings, galaxy types, numbering systems that were orgininally designed to help put things in order are wrot with confusion. Don't even get me going on astronomical units, and I have the same complaint about icons: how do you index and reference them? I have no way of knowing what my camera is telling me without plowing through a two-hundred page book, all in 8 pitch. I just aim and hope.

So rather than create a plethoria of new planets, I would propose classifying all Kuiper belt objects as "Plutonian moons", including Pluto. Give the grade school kids a break - by the time they are adults, they will have learned to identify more icons than there are characters in the Chinese alphabet.
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David
post Jan 12 2006, 07:49 PM
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The first discovery of a "new" planet was in 1781. The second, 1846, 75 years later. The third, 1930, 84 years later. If 2003 UB313 is considered a planet, then 73 years would have elapsed between the third and fourth new planets. That's an average of 77 years between "new planets". I think that's a nice sedate pace I think we could keep up for a while.
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elakdawalla
post Jan 16 2006, 08:18 PM
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The results are in...

Pluto Top Ten Lists

A very strong showing from the UMSF folks, especially Lyford! Thanks guys!

--Emily


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djellison
post Jan 16 2006, 08:31 PM
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Weh hey smile.gif

I love "It doesn't appear to be so inclined. " - That's GENIUS

Doug
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Guest_exobioquest_*
post Jan 17 2006, 05:37 AM
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Pluto is not a planet, and I'll tell you why cause “plutonians are teh suck!” (private joke for ATHF fans)

Its to small and to far and if we add it in we have to add in alot of other KBO that including pluto are nothing but oversize comets in badly need of some sun.

F the grade school books, the USA school system is already teaching them kids misinformation: why stop at sex ed and evolution lets get astronomy in there to!
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