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Kerrigan · Nov 12, 2006, 11:13 PM

So, farewell planet Earth — is this the end of the world as we know it? - Comment - Times Online

Because, when Pluto was ejected from the planetary Premiership three months ago and redesignated a “dwarf planet”, new guidelines were drawn up about what constituted a proper planet. There were just three criteria — and it seems Earth falls foul of one of them.

The extraordinary oversight by the International Astronomical Union not only banishes Pluto and our own rock from the historic nine-strong planetary elite, but also raises doubts over the status of Mars, Jupiter and Neptune. If the IAU criteria are applied in their strictest sense we are left with a paltry quartet — Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Uranus — and a need for a new mnemonic.

Uh, I have nothing to say. Seriously, very odd.

B Gallagher · Nov 13, 2006, 03:22 AM

Rumor · Nov 13, 2006, 03:28 AM

Welcome to planetoid Earth.®

Tuoder · 03:35 AM

That is insane. Hopefully they straighten this whole thing out before no one takes them seriously.

Wait a minute...

Eriamjh · Nov 13, 2006, 06:11 AM

Maybe one day they will determine there is no intelligent life on this one.

Kevin · Nov 13, 2006, 06:30 AM

Too late.

Chuckit · Nov 13, 2006, 09:40 AM

Bah, it's just some guy who's pissed about Pluto grasping at straws. When he says "apply the rules in their strictest sense," he evidently means "apply the rules in a way that their wording clearly does not intend." Things pass through the earth's orbit (as they do the sun's orbit and every other planet's orbit), but the earth doesn't share its area with other bodies.

BRussell · Nov 13, 2006, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Bah, it's just some guy who's pissed about Pluto grasping at straws. When he says "apply the rules in their strictest sense," he evidently means "apply the rules in a way that their wording clearly does not intend." Things pass through the earth's orbit (as they do the sun's orbit and every other planet's orbit), but the earth doesn't share its area with other bodies.

Yeah. Even though you're Clinically Insane, I agree with you on that.

nonhuman · Nov 13, 2006, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Bah, it's just some guy who's pissed about Pluto grasping at straws. When he says "apply the rules in their strictest sense," he evidently means "apply the rules in a way that their wording clearly does not intend." Things pass through the earth's orbit (as they do the sun's orbit and every other planet's orbit), but the earth doesn't share its area with other bodies.

Earth shares its orbit with the Moon...

turtle777 · Nov 13, 2006, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

Maybe one day they will determine there is no intelligent life on this one.

Originally Posted by Kevin

Too late.

Do you mean that someone has already determined that, or do you mean that there indeed *IS* intelligent life on earth ?

I'd like proof of the latter.

-t

olePigeon · Nov 13, 2006, 11:30 AM

In other news, cosmologists continue to not care.

Salty · Nov 13, 2006, 01:36 PM

This is why science is awful. We should just replace all scientists with Christian scientists... then we don't actually need to define anything we can just put a scripture reference after everything we say (Jer 25:3)

Dakar² · Nov 13, 2006, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by Salty

This is why science is awful.

Because it changes as we learn new things? Or that people can challenge it?

Tuoder · Nov 13, 2006, 01:41 PM

Why can't they just invent a category that "grandfathers in" Pluto? Maybe "Classical Planets" or something like that.

Chuckit · Nov 13, 2006, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by Tuoder

Why can't they just invent a category that "grandfathers in" Pluto? Maybe "Classical Planets" or something like that.

Anybody could do that, but it wouldn't really be a scientific classification no matter who did it.

olePigeon · Nov 13, 2006, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by Salty

This is why science is awful.

No, this is why involving politics in science is awful. The definition of a planet doesn't change anything in astronomy & cosmology. There are better and more constructive things to do.

In other words: Pluto doesn't care if it's a planet or not, it's a $*&#@!% rock.

Dakar² · Nov 13, 2006, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

It wouldn't really be a scientific classification no matter who did it.

Beat me to it.

Tuoder · Nov 13, 2006, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Anybody could do that, but it wouldn't really be a scientific classification no matter who did it.

Well no, but it would serve to empty out their inbox. It just seems to me that it is very arbitrary what a planet is. Somebody decided that all of these new bodies being discovered shouldn't be planets, and because Pluto is so similar to them, in many cases less qualified at being a planet, they decided it should no longer be called one.

Screw it. I am just going to get one of those irritating t-shirts I have seen around.

turtle777 · Nov 13, 2006, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

In other words: Pluto doesn't care if it's a planet or not, it's a $*&#@!% rock.

You just hurt Pluto's feelings

-t

smacintush · Nov 14, 2006, 10:25 PM

Like it really f*ckin' matters what "classification" the Earth falls under.

News Flash: The term "planet" was made up too.

Railroader · Nov 14, 2006, 10:42 PM

Next thing you know they'll be saying there's no intelligent life on the planetoid Earth.

SpaceMonkey · Nov 14, 2006, 10:45 PM

I like it. We'll be less subject to alien invasion. No one wants to be slumming around, invading planetoids if they can help it.

His Dudeness · Nov 15, 2006, 03:57 AM

Originally Posted by nonhuman

Earth shares its orbit with the Moon...

If I'm not mistaken, every "planet" with a "moon" shares its orbit. Each "moon" will cause it's "planet" to move ever so slightly because each has it's own gravitational pull on the other. So in a sense, every planet with a moon could be considered a binary system, right?