Pluto

[djxatlanta]

I can't believe all this fuss from the general public about Pluto's planetary demotion. The people who are raising the most hell about it are scientifically ignorant and don't realize that the solar system is not this simple little thing that we all learned in grade school years ago. Just as the atom is not as simple as protons, neutrons and

Comments

[pagerbear]

Yeah, yeah, whatever.

What did you think of Project Runway last night?!

[djxatlanta]

I've never seen the show. The only first-run shows I watch with regularity are Venture Bros. and Family Guy, and then I routinely catch reruns of Futurama. I mostly watch CNN and any interesting shows on science or history. Although just for fun, I did catch an episode of The Simple Life last night, the first one I had seen since the very first episode when it was originally aired. Tragic.

[pagerbear]

**pagergasp** Never seen Project Runway?! And you call yourself a homosexual?!

[djxatlanta]

Society calls me a homosexual. My friends call me a slut. I call myself opportunistic.

[evilboyrobin]

You are right it is a non-issue. But for some reason just hearing it made me a little sad. Not really sure why. It isn't like it changed or dissappeared. Same reason a new discovery discovery would excite me I guess.

Not that I put much stock in Astrology but being a Scorpio, Pluto is/was suppose to be my ruling planet. So I guess it will revert back to Mars (which is was before Pluto was discovered).

[roypup]

Well, people feel tied to it because of it's romantic associations in literature and myth for thousands of years.

[evilboyrobin]

Good point. I can alway count on you to solidify what I am actually thinking, but can express in words.

[djxatlanta]

How can people be romantically attached to Pluto's status as a planet when it's been labled as such for only 75 years? The only thing the average Joe on the street knows about Pluto is that it was the furthest "planet" from the sun and that the Disney dog was named after it. As a person interested in planetary astronomy (and planetary astronomy refers to all objects in the solar system), Pluto means so much more to me on a scientific level that I appreciate its geologic diversity within the scheme of the whole solar system. Superficial fluff such as "it's my favorite planet" annoys me when the people saying it aren't aware of the true scientific beauty beyond their grasp.

Pluto hasn't changed and isn't going anywhere — it's a fascinating world, and I look forward to the first close-up images of it and Charon and Nix and Hydra in nine years.

The Most Difficult Change of All

[boditree]

...is that of perception.

Re: The Most Difficult Change of All

[djxatlanta]

Oh, you don't need to tell me about that. Although my head may be quite clear when it comes to things of a scientific nature, I'm woefully misperceive social cues all the time... especially when it comes to attraction. I almost ruined two budding friendships earlier this year because of things I saw that weren't there. I may make a post discussing that more in detail (without naming names) later today... it's a bit of cartharsis I'll need.

[bear_left]

Well, just think about the tons of energy that, oh, say, bears put into classifying and subclassifying... I mean, that bearcode... sheesh!

But on a more intellectual level, we are a society that likes to classify everything - e.g. race., and when our categories get upset, people get upset. I happen to agree with your point about KBOs, but I think that's where the angst comes from.