Planets

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- Former 'tenth planet' named for goddess of discord
  Posted by Billbar from New Scientist Space
  A large icy object that helped spark the debate over Pluto's status has officially been named Eris, after the Greek goddess of discord. The object had been known as 2003 UB313 since its discovery was reported in 2005 by Mike Brown of Caltech in Pasadena, US. It is slightly larger than Pluto, which prompted Brown and others to refer to it as the 'tenth planet' and generated debate about what should be considered a planet.
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- Pluto is Now Just a Number: 134340
  Posted by Billbar from Space.com
  On Sept. 7, the former 9th planet was assigned the asteroid number 134340 by the Minor Planet Center (MPC), the official organization responsible for collecting data about asteroids and comets in our solar system. The move reinforces the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) recent decision to strip Pluto of its planethood and places it in the same category as other small solar-system bodies with accurately known orbits. Pluto's companion satellites, Charon, Nix and Hydra are considered part of the same system and will not be assigned separate asteroid numbers, said MPC director emeritus Brian Marsden. Instead, they will be called 134340 I, II and III, respectively.
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- Several Planetary Systems May Include Earth-Like Waterworlds
  Posted by Billbar from Seed Magazine
  In light of new computer simulations, a team of scientists say more than a third of known planetary systems—made up of a central star, like our Sun, surrounded by gaseous planets and rocky debris—could include planets similar to Earth. These other "Earths" would be much like our home planet, except that they would be completely covered by water.
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- Pluto: Down But Maybe Not Out
  Posted by Billbar from Space.com
  If you did not like Pluto's demotion, don't give up hope. Arguments over the newly approved definition for "planet" are likely to continue at least until 2009, and astronomers say there is much that remains to be clarified and refined. While it is entirely unclear if the definition could ever be altered enough to reinstate Pluto as a planet, astronomers clearly expect some changes. Nonetheless, the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) "recognizes the authority of the IAU to render a decision," today's statement reads. "All definitions have a degree of fuzziness that requires intelligent application: what does 'round' really mean? What does it mean to 'control a zone'?"
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- New planet definition sparks furor
  Posted by Billbar from New Scientist Space
  The new planet definition that relegates Pluto to "dwarf planet" status is drawing intense criticism from astronomers. It appears likely that the definition will not be widely adopted by astronomers for everyday use, even though it is the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) official position.
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- New Planet Definition Leaves Scientific Loose Ends
  Posted by Billbar from Space.com
  NASA's New Horizons robotic mission to Pluto launched in January. It's due to arrive in 2015. Several astronomers told SPACE.com that the project is now more significant and interesting than ever, because Pluto is finally recognized as what it is: part of a swarm of small things beyond Neptune. "In fact [Pluto] becomes even more interesting to look at because it is the standard by which all future dwarf planets will be judged," said Charles Liu, a researcher at the American Museum of Natural History and a professor of astrophysics at CUNY/Staten Island. "In a sense, it makes it more clear what this mission is about," said Caltech planet-hunter Mike Brown. "I think it's better this way."
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- Scientists decide Pluto's no longer a planet
  Posted by Jeff from MSNBC
  Somehow the picture of Earth in scale with Jupiter and Saturn and our proximity to the sun makes me feel quite insignificant.
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Billbar comments on:
New planet definition sparks furor
Getting astronomers to agree on such things is worse than herding cats. We'll see.
Reply »
6:34 am 8/26/06
Damianmann comments on:
Scientists decide Pluto's no longer a planet
Exactly. We never liked Pluto anyway
Reply »
7:18 am 8/25/06
Billbar comments on:
Scientists decide Pluto's no longer a planet
Good riddance!
Reply »
6:16 am 8/25/06
Damianmann comments on:
Scientists decide Pluto's no longer a planet
I've decided to continue calling it a planet.
Reply »
5:13 am 8/25/06

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Planets

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