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Pluto Might Be Bigger Than Eris

astroengine writes "Look out, the battle of the dwarf planets is about to re-ignite! During last weekend's rare occultation of a star by Eris, astronomers managed to gain one of the most accurate measurements of Eris' physical size. When three Chilean telescopes watched the star blink out of sight, astronomers were shocked to find that Eris is actually a lot smaller than originally thought. So small that it might be smaller than Pluto. On speaking with Discovery News, Eris' discoverer Mike Brown said, 'While everyone is more interested in the "mine is bigger than yours" aspect, the real science is the shockingly large density of Eris.' The mass of Eris is well known, so this means the object is more dense than Pluto. Does this mean the two mini-worlds have different compositions? Did they evolve differently? In light of this finding, is the underlying argument for Pluto being demoted from the planetary club on wobbly ground?"

2 of 257 comments (clear)

  1. No. by bigspring · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The argument for calling Pluto a Dwarf planet is on perfectly firm ground. It had nothing to do with size. Do some research before you ask stupid questions, please.

  2. Re:Leave Pluto alone by geekoid · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Is the world flat for you? does heavier then air flight exists in your tiny, stupid world?

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