No more Pluto?! Say what?!

UsagiKira · Post by **UsagiKira** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 1:51 pm

I was watching this video on Yahoo news (which I can't find again! >_<) talking about the possibilty of our solar system having 3 new planets.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/0 ... ition.html

^ original story

What do you think? If you had to decided, would you keep all 9 or should we have 12?

I think 12. If it's more accurate then why not? It's about time most school books were updated anyway... >_>

Starscream · Post by **Starscream** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:55 pm

I'm torn on this issue.

On the one hand, the new definition of "planet" seems to pave the way for most of the objects in the Asteroid Belt, as well as a whole bunch of other objects in the Solar System, to be included as a planet. So that part of me wants to shoot down this idea. (Besides, Pluto/Charon as planets, while the moon - bigger than both - isn't? C'mon).

On the other hand, losing Pluto would be tremendous, and I know a lot of nostalgic scientists and those of us who aren't well versed in astronomy (aside from the occasional star/planet gazing and a general interest/fascination in heavenly bodies) would bemoan the loss of such a classical set of "facts" that most people know by the time they're teenagers.

Whatever the final decision is, you can bet a whole slew of fanfics - both good and bad, but mostly bad - are going to erupt out of this. I can already picture one where the other three Asteroid Soldiers fight with Ceres over her "promotion", or Pluto being unceremoniously kicked out of the Earth-bound Soldier group as a result of Pluto's losing its status :O

kingofgames · Post by **kingofgames** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:00 pm

I approve of this 12 planets

But then, now the current people that are in grades 5- College will have to learn about the additional 3 planets, and that could cause teachers to mess up their lessons (since some teachers done change their lesson plans for years)

On another note:
And this can help NASA explore futher, and eventually, explore outside this gallaxy..

If they try "Deranking" pluto though...this can cause some conversertasy

UsagiKira · Post by **UsagiKira** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:09 pm

I thought the same thing Star.

"*gasp* What will Sailor Moon fans think?! Especially if Pluto is demoted!"

My hubby laughed and said, "I can see it now. Raging Sailor Pluto fans causing riots."

Then I replied, "Raise your keystaffs in the air my sisters!!"
XD

Sailorasteroid · Post by **Sailorasteroid** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:47 pm

Starscream wrote:On the one hand, the new definition of "planet" seems to pave the way for most of the objects in the Asteroid Belt,

Hey, I'm not that fat yet! ^_^

I say keep it traditional: the planets are the planets and only ones outside of Pluto can be counted.

Starscream · Post by **Starscream** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:58 pm

Sailorasteroid wrote:
Starscream wrote:On the one hand, the new definition of "planet" seems to pave the way for most of the objects in the Asteroid Belt,
Hey, I'm not that fat yet! ^_^

XD

Panda · Post by **Panda** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 5:10 pm

If the anime would have paid more attention to Sailor Pluto this would never have happened! Dammit Toei!

But umm... yes. they need to keep Pluto. It's traditional. In the zodiac, in the history books... in the blues clues song...

Butterscotch · Post by **Butterscotch** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:52 pm

My first thought of this news was also about Sailor Pluto and Sailor Ceres. ^_^;

Starscream · Post by **Starscream** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 11:04 am

Bah, it's official: Sailor Pluto is out as one of the "Outer Soldiers":

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/dulut ... 344070.htm

Slrjoecool · Post by **Slrjoecool** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 11:12 am

Starscream wrote:Bah, it's official: Sailor Pluto is out as one of the "Outer Soldiers":

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/dulut ... 344070.htm

Dang it, you beat me to to. ;_;

Ah well. Poor Pluto...

UsagiKira · Post by **UsagiKira** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 11:47 am

This is garbage!! Complete garbage!! I can't believe they did this to Pluto!!

I don't care what they say, PLUTO IS STILL A PLANET!!

usachan · Post by **usachan** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 2:24 pm

Honestly, if they've been calling it a planet for so long, what harm would it do to keep calling it planet? It just makes things confusing for people, especially fans of Sailor Moon!

Panda · Post by **Panda** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:26 pm

Ahh... poor Pluto.

Maybe that's why she was sent to guard the Gates of Time (Panda writes a really bad fanfic...)

But really, this is heart-breaking.

Rainbow · Post by **Rainbow** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:46 pm

Personally, it doesn't bother me much, although this is mainly because of not only my Taiki-esque idea that scientists shouldn't be held down by sentimental tradition, but also because I don't think being a "dwarf planet" is that bad, especially if Pluto is the biggest of its own class of objects.

I don't think that would hurt Sailor Pluto any, anyway, since Sailor Moon is the star and her celestial object is a Moon, not even a single planet. So whether or not science considers Pluto to be a planet would not screw up Sailor Pluto deriving power from it (or however the Senshi get their powers).

What more concerns me, especially as a sociologist, is the way that science, especially astronomy, will be viewed because of this. On the positive side of things, some people will see it as scientists being able to change the rules based on observations, but also being firm in not letting sentimentality guide what gets chosen as a planet. On the other hand, which is more likely, this will make science be hated even more than it is now with all the evolution and creation controversies, now we'll have people who, because of their emotional attachment to Pluto, may begin to hate astronomy and science in general. I suppose some of my concern here is related to my own ironic attachment to the idea of scientific objectivity. I guess looking at myself as an alien, it's ironic that I'm emotionally attached (and also intellectually attached) to something that is about being unbiased, but that's human nature for you.

Starscream · Post by **Starscream** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:02 pm

Rainbow wrote:What more concerns me, especially as a sociologist, is the way that science, especially astronomy, will be viewed because of this. On the positive side of things, some people will see it as scientists being able to change the rules based on observations, but also being firm in not letting sentimentality guide what gets chosen as a planet. On the other hand, which is more likely, this will make science be hated even more than it is now with all the evolution and creation controversies, now we'll have people who, because of their emotional attachment to Pluto, may begin to hate astronomy and science in general. I suppose some of my concern here is related to my own ironic attachment to the idea of scientific objectivity. I guess looking at myself as an alien, it's ironic that I'm emotionally attached (and also intellectually attached) to something that is about being unbiased, but that's human nature for you.

Eh.

The only reason there are controversies based on the ideas of Creation and Evolution is because of their implications in various religions. Whereas a number of Christians (and perhaps other people of faith) feel that scientific ideas about creation and evolution contradict what their texts tell them, I believe (and someone correct me) that there are fewer people for whom the Pluto reclassification will affect in such a profound manner. Christians are the current majority in the world AND happen to have a big hand in the government of the United States at the moment, so of course something like evolution is going to have a larger impact. Pluto's redesignation does not do anything more than slap a different label on the orb; back when there was even less known about the universe, scholars placed the Sun, the Moon, and the five visible planets on the same level of importance; after we learned that the planets orbit the Sun, and the Moon orbits the Earth, there were a number of Christians that were upset about it, but it didn't take long for a good majority of them to "forgive" science and return to respecting its findings.

Rainbow · Post by **Rainbow** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 6:39 pm

I mainly meant that it might have a negative impact on science's public image, not that it was of the same scale as the evolution/creation controversy. I might've used the wrong example, too.

Part of where I get that idea is from that my dad told me today that when they first tried to "demote" Pluto, scientists were stopped by letters sent in by schoolchildren who wanted to "save Pluto."

Starscream · Post by **Starscream** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 6:56 pm

Rainbow wrote:I mainly meant that it might have a negative impact on science's public image, not that it was of the same scale as the evolution/creation controversy. I might've used the wrong example, too.

Part of where I get that idea is from that my dad told me today that when they first tried to "demote" Pluto, scientists were stopped by letters sent in by schoolchildren who wanted to "save Pluto."

I get where you're coming from, and yeah, it's going to get quite a bit of negative reaction from the lay people, but I don't think science on a whole will be affected. People might be miffed at astronomers at the end of the day, but I think the science of studying the stars is going to come out of this relatively unscathed.

yoshmaster5 · Post by **yoshmaster5** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 8:42 pm

Starscream wrote:
Rainbow wrote:I mainly meant that it might have a negative impact on science's public image, not that it was of the same scale as the evolution/creation controversy. I might've used the wrong example, too.

Part of where I get that idea is from that my dad told me today that when they first tried to "demote" Pluto, scientists were stopped by letters sent in by schoolchildren who wanted to "save Pluto."
I get where you're coming from, and yeah, it's going to get quite a bit of negative reaction from the lay people, but I don't think science on a whole will be affected. People might be miffed at astronomers at the end of the day, but I think the science of studying the stars is going to come out of this relatively unscathed.

quite honestly, the only thing taht will be effected much is elementry school solar-system projects.

Post by **Tiff** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 8:49 pm

yoshmaster5 wrote: quite honestly, the only thing taht will be effected much is elementry school solar-system projects.

¬.¬ or we teachers who have been teaching that the solar system includes pluto...

DragonMasterZero · Post by **DragonMasterZero** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 8:56 pm

Poor Pluto /mourn