Current Events > Do you believe that pluto is a planet?

(+) Yeah! (+)

pluto is more than a rock though. it is an experienced planet

Sphyx posted...

Then perhaps some of them should be. And maybe that's the whole point of this.

Pluto probably shouldn't be treated as the metric for this. This whole mess got going with Eris being dismissed as a possible planet due to size, right up until observations suggested it may be larger than Pluto.

Even now, people are debating the validity of Mercury.

why is the question "why dont we add more planets"? why not be happy with pluto being reclassified correctly?

they could make any definition and rules and definitional rules they wanted. all they would have to do is just add a tiny little asterisk *

*These rules and definitions and definitional rules do not apply where a particular rock has a 50+ year history of being a planet in good standing

Kloe_Rinz posted...

why is the question "why dont we add more planets"? why not be happy with pluto being reclassified correctly?

Push it a step further back, and you could say "why not be happy with leaving the term planet the way it was"?

PS, should I throw the term "correctly" into that sentence? You know, because that somehow gives it more authority?

It's a very strange thing to argue against change when the thing you're defending is itself a change. And a poorly implemented one at that.
One of the earlier redefinitions arguably excluded Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune. You can bet that little accident was patched in a hurry.

Yes, because I value sentimental projections of human emotion onto nonliving, frozen chunks of rock in far-away space. Hence, I feel bad for Pluto and I want it to be a planet, so it is.

no this is the only planet

It was considered a planet when I was a kid.

Apparently it's not anymore? Honestly, it really doesn't matter to me whether it's one or not.

I guess my answer is whatever most scientists say. I haven't been following what's the the latest status.