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Why Pluto Still Matters
StartsWithABang writes Nearly a century ago, Pluto was discovered, and for 48 years it remained the only known object whose orbit takes it beyond the gravitational pull of Neptune. In a single generation, we've now discovered more than 1,000 additional objects in the Kuiper Belt, but does that make Pluto any less special? Here's a strong argument for why Pluto might matter now more than ever.
Simple, because a probe is going to study it very soon.
Ezekiel 23:20
Here's a strong argument for why Pluto might matter now more than ever.
Maybe, just maybe, this is something that could've been added to the summary.
Click Bait; Didn't Read.
Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
The arguments in favor of Pluto are purely subjective, and are mostly related to the core-self identity of the writer. The funny part is that I subscribe completely. And perhaps this psychological factor should matter in this case alone.
I take my children to see Madonna(..), but I never for once ever thought I was in the same business.Chris Rea.
Seriously, Goofy as s Mickey's friend, right? He's clearly a canine.
Then how can Mickey also have a pet dog?
And what about the fucking horses?
Pluto is what it is. We have a probe about to visit so that's great. I detest the IAU definition of a planet not because Pluto isn't included but because it is an ill thought out inconsistent mess that was voted in on the last day of the IAU conference when most of the voting members had gone one after discarding a front runner definition that made a lot more sense and was more subjective. Yes it made Pluto a planet but so what!?
The definition they did accept in the end has a LOT wrong with it:
It explictly mentions the sun so extrasolar planets aren't planets.
It defines dwarf planet such that a dwarf planet is not a planet (very confusing especially for a definition intended for lay people).
It defines a planet that has not cleared it's path as not being a planet. Well what about the Trojan Asteroids and Jupiter? Is Jupiter not a planet?
They're just some of the highlights. The definition is a complete mess.
The judge stated, "Mr. Mouse, I can't see fit to approve your divorce petition based solely on your opinion that your wife Minnie is crazy; in this state you have to have a valid cause for divorce."
Mickey replied, "Your honor, with all due respect, I didn't say she's crazy -- I said she's fucking Goofy!"
n/c
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
This sentence is at the core of all this rambling: "The fact that there are other things out there that are bigger, smarter, faster, stronger, or better than you, in any regard, inÂabsolutely no way diminishes how special you are." Wishful thinking at best, delusionary denial at best: the fact that there are better persons than him make him insignificant, mundane and unworthy. People like him should just accept it, understand how low their place in the world is, and behave accordingly. Seriously, if a child is a retarded spazz what good are you doing in telling it it's "special" (unless you mean handicapped) and equal to the others? You're just setting it up for a big letdown later. Be honest: call shit by its name.
Even though I'm a huge fan of space and astronomy, I must say TFA certainly doesn't reach qualities to be posted on slashdot. The approver must have been drunk or what
... Because it doesn't anti-matter.
Dum-dum-tssh
Compare that to Neil deGrasse Tyson:
Maybe there is something to it and astronomy should incorporate peoples feelings in their classifications. Probably not.
But maybe in the communication? Actually i think they could have classified planets in "Big planets" and "Dwarf planets" instead of making "dwarf planets" not a subclass of "planets".
NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
"... for 48 years it remained the only known object whose orbit takes it beyond the gravitational pull of Neptune."
Wow! A truly distinct object. Even remote galaxies aren't "beyond the gravitational pull of Neptune." which drops off as 1/R^2 out to infinity but never disappears. I wonder what makes Pluto unique?
but that rubbish site "medium.com" came up. They are not tricking me into reading crap again.
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
Pluto still matters because it is the most well studied known Kuiper belt object and we are finally about to get a good look at it.
...not at the eighth planet.
FTFA:
The fact that there are other things out there that are bigger, smarter, faster, stronger, or better than you, in any regard, in absolutely no way diminishes how special you are.
Did Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) write this before he died?
"Every child and planetary bodies are special. I like you for you!"
Obviously Fwiffo is waiting there, pondering how he can get enormous amounts of land and worrying if the Hunams will invade yet.
"Pluto was discovered, and for 48 years it remained the only known object whose orbit takes it beyond the gravitational pull of Neptune."
Long Period comets for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C... - Discovered 1948
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C... - Discovered 1911
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X... - Discovered 1106 (though I don't know if they determined its orbit at the time)
Some of these have orbits that take them 2 orders of magnitude farther from the Sun than Pluto
Do it. Do it now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
tl;dr
I am sure I am not the only one that go tricked into thinking there was something interesting in that article. What a waste of peoples time and insulting to readers here. I am guessing this is paid placement?
Because Sailor Pluto is a hottie, even if Pluto is no longer a planet. We must keep Sailor Pluto!
How about a little consistency, please?
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
About the path clearing, the objects around Pluto are more massive in total size than Pluto however the same can't be said of Jupiter and its trojans. Jupiter is far more massive. Ceres has the same issues as Pluto; it's the biggest asteroid but it's smaller or perhaps comparable to the combined size of all of the asteroids.
I'd argue that Triton (of Neptune) is currently the "most well studied known Kuiper belt object", being it already had a Voyager flyby. There's a good chance Triton is from the Kuiper belt based on composition, density, and its "backward" orbit.
But we'll have better evidence for that theory either way when Pluto is visited by New Horizons.
Table-ized A.I.
"atom" has a pretty well-defined meaning (if a little fuzzy in places; what's the difference between alpha particles and doubly ionized helium, for example?), and it's a useful meaning. "planet" has been fuzzy since we started finding asteroids. Certainly Venus is a planet. How about Ceres? Pluto? The moon? If we're going to use the term to mean something, we have to have some sort of definition, and we really should stick to it.
I'd much rather see the apatosaurus renamed brontosaurus, myself.
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
The decision was done "in the last few days" because they spent weeks at the conference talking it through with subject experts, after MONTHS of discussion over it before they agreed to meet. Why not go the whole hog and claim the decision was made in the time it took the IAU to state the result, about 10 seconds tops?
The definition they rejected, geophysical, had far more holes in it.
The definition you upbraid is far better than you claim BECAUSE YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT. Jupiter OWNS its orbit. NOTHING ELSE in its orbit makes it give a shit about its location. Its orbit is decided by the sun and itself almost entirely.
Pluto's orbit is definied by the sun, itself AND CHARON.
See the difference? Or are you so all wrapped up in your americanexceptionalism that Pluto, being "found" by an american MUST REMAIN A PLANET!!!?
Because, before then, they didn't see any of the other objects, therefore there was NO ASTEROID.
When we found the others, Ceres became an asteroid and demoted. You didn't hear any baby whining and pouting over that because it wasn't fat-headed merkins putting their national pride in having "found a planet" then getting bend when it turns out not to be a planet because they found all those other similar rocks and demoted it.
Just like Ceres.
Which wasn't discovered by an american. So you don't care or know about it, right?