Poll: Pluto, is it still a planet?

[chronobreak]

And seriously, these scientists have nothing better to do than debate whether or not Pluto should be categorized as a planet when we still can't get past our own moon?

Also, nice red herring, but how astronomers spend their time (which I'm actually pretty sure you know nothing about) really as nothing to do with this argument.

Yea, well he didn't bring that part up. Anyways, it was my understanding that Pluto is still designated as a "dwarf" planet. So, technically it is still a planet. Read this: http://www.universetoday.com/2008/04/10/why-pluto-is-no-longer-a-planet/

 

[Ancientgamer]

Sure, why not? Part of my point is asking what does it matter? Is there really any difference between considering all of them to be planets and considering none of them to be planets?

If it doesn't matter to you, then why do you care about the change. It'd be more accurate, and that at least has high importance in the scientific community. Surely you're not arguing that knowledge is unnecessary.

 

[toapat]

the fact is that Pluto has Charon. the fact that its one of the few celestial bodies within any reasonable distance to be classified as a bi-orbital body is what matters

 

[KSarty]

Sure, why not? Part of my point is asking what does it matter? Is there really any difference between considering all of them to be planets and considering none of them to be planets?

If it doesn't matter to you, then why do you care about the change. It'd be more accurate, and that at least has high importance in the scientific community. Surely you're not arguing that knowledge is unnecessary.

I don't care about the change. Call it a planet or don't call it a planet, the fact that this debate has been going on for so long is what annoys me. This isn't a case of gaining new knowledge either, it is simply re-categorizing Pluto. We haven't learned anything new about Pluto or the land masses that are similar to Pluto by giving them a new classification now have we?

 

[Bigeyez]

I don't care about the change. Call it a planet or don't call it a planet, the fact that this debate has been going on for so long is what annoys me. This isn't a case of gaining new knowledge either, it is simply re-categorizing Pluto. We haven't learned anything new about Pluto or the land masses that are similar to Pluto by giving them a new classification now have we?

? The real debate ended a long time ago. It has been reclassified and is not a planet anymore. The only people still "debating" it are people like us on the internet or your average guy on the street. And again what we learned was the "more correct" ( if you want to call it that) definition of the classification itself.

 

[KSarty]

I don't care about the change. Call it a planet or don't call it a planet, the fact that this debate has been going on for so long is what annoys me. This isn't a case of gaining new knowledge either, it is simply re-categorizing Pluto. We haven't learned anything new about Pluto or the land masses that are similar to Pluto by giving them a new classification now have we?

? The real debate ended a long time ago. It has been reclassified and is not a planet anymore. The only people still "debating" it are people like us on the internet or your average guy on the street. And again what we learned was the "more correct" ( if you want to call it that) definition of the classification itself.

My bad then, this is actually the third time this week I have seen it being brought up so I assumed the debate was underway again. Regardless, we didn't "learn" what was more correct, we "decided" what was more correct based on our decision of what constitutes a planet. There is a big difference there.

 

[Ancientgamer]

Sure, why not? Part of my point is asking what does it matter? Is there really any difference between considering all of them to be planets and considering none of them to be planets?

If it doesn't matter to you, then why do you care about the change. It'd be more accurate, and that at least has high importance in the scientific community. Surely you're not arguing that knowledge is unnecessary.

I don't care about the change. Call it a planet or don't call it a planet, the fact that this debate has been going on for so long is what annoys me. This isn't a case of gaining new knowledge either, it is simply re-categorizing Pluto. We haven't learned anything new about Pluto or the land masses that are similar to Pluto by giving them a new classification now have we?

So you think having an accurate classification of what exactly "planet" Means is unimportant? Look, it may not cure cancer, but it's still very important to the astronomer community. (Many of whom have never really considered pluto an actual "planet". the IAU conference just made it official)

Anyway, most of the "debate" has come from the uninformed masses whining about their favorite planet being kick out of the club.

 

[magicmonkeybars]

Sure, why not? Part of my point is asking what does it matter? Is there really any difference between considering all of them to be planets and considering none of them to be planets?

If it doesn't matter to you, then why do you care about the change. It'd be more accurate, and that at least has high importance in the scientific community. Surely you're not arguing that knowledge is unnecessary.

I don't care about the change. Call it a planet or don't call it a planet, the fact that this debate has been going on for so long is what annoys me. This isn't a case of gaining new knowledge either, it is simply re-categorizing Pluto. We haven't learned anything new about Pluto or the land masses that are similar to Pluto by giving them a new classification now have we?

So you think having an accurate classification of what exactly "planet" Means is unimportant? Look, it may not cure cancer, but it's still very important to the astronomer community. (Many of whom have never really considered pluto an actual "planet". the IAU conference just made it official)

Anyway, most of the "debate" has come from the uninformed masses whining about their favorite planet being kick out of the club.

So I have to ask, why was it a planet to begin with if so many more simmilar rocks were floating out there too, why was it so much more special then all the other giant rocks ?

 

[Bigeyez]

Regardless, we didn't "learn" what was more correct, we "decided" what was more correct based on our decision of what constitutes a planet. There is a big difference there.

Your 100% right there. But alaso thats science for ya.

 

[Rebelhobnob]

I said yes, because it's called a dwarf "planet".

 

[kaziard]

If the scientists say it's not a planet, then it's not a planet. It's not like this is a subjective thing.

they also said man cant fly, the victorians had discovered everything possible and the world is round (which it clearly isnt)

just saying "the scientists" arnt always right

 

[Cargando]

No, no it isn't due to what 'factors' a body needs to fulfil before it is considered a planet, and Pluto fails some of these. Therefore, it isn't a planet, it's too small.

BTW, if you accept Pluto as a planet, there would be about 14 planets in our Solar system.

 

[Mymla]

Of all the things Scientists could have done, they sat around debating whether the PLANET PLUTO (clue in the name) that everyone has agreed is a PLANET for decades and decades is actually a planet.

All of the 'scientists' involved at that meeting should be taken out and summarily executed. How much time did they waste that they could have spent doing something useful to arrive at a conclusion that no-one but themselves argees with?

The defenition of a planet was pretty fuzzy, and they decided to put down a few criteria for what constitutes a planet, which if wikipedia is to be believed are:

A celestial body that is
(a) in orbit around the Sun,
(b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and
(c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

Pluto doesn't fulfill C. Which is why I think it's reasonable to reclassify it as a "dwarf planet" along with a whole bunch of other celestial bodies in that area.

However, I think the real answear to this question is "Jesus christ, does anyone really give a damn?"

 

[Koeryn]

as I posted on the other one...

I prefer to think of it as a planet.
that way it can become a Fortress-World instead of a Fortress-Dwarf/Midget/Whatever

what sounds more Deadly?
diving towards an armed and armoured planet?
or running at some midget wearing plate-mail with a couple of flint-locks?

Flintlocks is scary, yo.

And I'm going with the "I prefer 8 to 8,000." school of thought here.