Abandoned Forum

[nil]

Pluto has been demoted! The IAU (International Astronomical Union) kicked out Pluto from our big solar system family. Now we are down to 8 planets in our world.

What have Pluto done to deserve this? According to the official excuse, Pluto has invaded Neptune's privacy (or in astronomers' terms, it fails to clear the orbit of its neighbourhood).

But we all know the real culprit is Xena. Xena killed Pluto. Just who is Xena? Xena is the warrior princess you see in TV. It's also a new "rock" found by Michael Brown and his team from CalTech in 2003. Its official name is 2003 UB313.

The trouble started when they found out Xena is bigger than Pluto... Now, as you know, many astronomers have been unhappy about little Pluto for a long time... Some museums even dropped Pluto long before today's decision was made. They just thought that Pluto was a bit un-planetly. Now, the discovery of Xena gave them a good excuse to pound on little Pluto, and so they did.

There was an alternative considered before they dropped Pluto. The original Plan A was to add Xena, together with Ceres (which had briefly been called a planet in 1800s before it was kicked out from the club like Pluto) and Charon (which was Pluto's good buddy planet, or some call it the satellite of Pluto). The problem for Plan A was we could potentially end up with hundreds of "planets" in our solar system and be eternally cursed by the grade school students who need to remember all the planet names ... so instead of saying "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizza", they need to memorize a whole essay, probably relating to parenthood and other delivery food.

So for the goodness of the future generation, the IAU decided to kick out little Pluto just so the other 3 planets couldn't complaint that they are being discriminated from joining the planet club.

What do you think about their idea?

[TheCountess]

Keep Pluto! I mean... It won't kill them to have one exception to the rule... Jeez... Is the whole "What is a planet" thing that big a deal?

[Astarte]

to those who feel they are above Pluto.

[Pimienta]

I'm all for keeping pluto
I mean really what gives them the power to disown pluto anyway

[hamster]

How on earth can future school children learn that lovely planetary rhyme: Many Vicious Elephants Munch Jelly Sandwiches Under Nutty ... Palms

if Pluto no longer belongs?

[Astarte]

Did you know that Pluto has two moons? How does a non-planet manage moons??

[Cherokee_girl]

I like pluto!! I want to keep it!

[hamster]

I like pluto!! I want to keep it!

It's all yours! Send $50 to PO Box 54365, Chazoatown, Mo, 76543. Operators are standing by.

[nil]

I have a vigororus debate about Pluto with my 4 years old niece, I tried to convince her there was only 8 planets in the solar system now instead of the 9 she had been taught a couple weeks ago. She won the debate by a threat of tear-terrorism....

[Pimienta]

I think that if we all go to the people who said it wasn't a planet and threaten them with tear terrorism it might work to bring it back

I want pluto back

[hamster]

As ruler of the universe, it is incumbent upon you to force the change, Pimienta.

I think that if we all go to the people who said it wasn't a planet and threaten them with tear terrorism it might work to bring it back

I want pluto back

[nil]

More bad news for Pluto, now it's just a number: 134340.

Instead of calling it Pluto, we just call it 134340 (see how easy it is to remember? you can even type it with the numeric keypad of a cell phone).

Another interesting fact: Nasa is sending a space craft "new horizons" to Pluto. It was launched on Jan this year. Riding aboard are ashes of the astronomer Clyde Tombaugh who discovered Pluto in 1930. What would Clyde think now when he's heading to a number instead of a planet

[Cherokee_girl]

Just because it has a number doesn't mean I'll call it that. I'll remember that number for one reason: to call it pluto when it's brought into conversation. 134340

[Astarte]

I'm disgusted.

[TheCountess]

*sadness*