New moon for Pluto

[Terry B]

See here
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hu...luto-moon.html
very clever

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Well it may have been premature to strip Pluto of Planethood I thought only planets would have moons and Pluto has more moons than Earth some people may have to eat their hats me thinks.

[mswhin63 (Malcolm)]

It wasn't the reason for de-classifying Pluto, there are many asteroids that have orbiting satellites around them.

[Ric]

New Horizons is certainly going to have a lot of interesting objects to photograph when it reaches Pluto in 2015.

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Originally Posted by mswhin63

It wasn't the reason for de-classifying Pluto, there are many asteroids that have orbiting satellites around them.

I am a diehard I still say they were wrong the reason was they waited for most of the group to go home before putting it up for a vote

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Great. An object between 13-34km found at that distance. Very impressive.

Originally Posted by supernova1965

I am a diehard I still say they were wrong the reason was they waited for most of the group to go home before putting it up for a vote

That makes it sound like a conspiracy, which is a bit strong. I think the business session where the status was debated had always been scheduled for the last morning, and putting the business sessions at the start or end of a conference is pretty normal. One could argue that had other delegates stayed to the end instead of slipping off then they could have had their say.

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

That makes it sound like a conspiracy, which is a bit strong.

I meant it as a light hearted joke sorry if it came over wrong

A great image and very promising for the future of our understanding of the outer solar system

[TrevorW]

I'm with you I always think Pluto got a bum deal

[AstralTraveller (David)]

The trouble is, if Pluto is a planet so are all similar Kuiper Belt objects. I think there are 3-4 known now but everyone expects that to rise. How many dozen planets do you want to have to remember?

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by supernova1965

I meant it as a light hearted joke sorry if it came over wrong

OK. I'm at work and so am a bit grumpy. We're also getting washed away here (I can't see the escarpment) and Saturday's obs night is as good as dead.

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

The trouble is, if Pluto is a planet so are all similar Kuiper Belt objects. I think there are 3-4 known now but everyone expects that to rise. How many dozen planets do you want to have to remember?

I can't argue with that logic and I tend to agree with the statement. And I would be happy to have to remember more planets the truth is what I like. Sorry you are getting rained out I know what that is like we had month's of that kind of weather for the first half of the year I feel for you.

[mikerr (Michael)]

It will just be another NASA con like all that Moon landings business.

Michael

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Originally Posted by mikerr

It will just be another NASA con like all that Moon landings business.

Michael

What! I hope you are kidding

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

The trouble is, if Pluto is a planet so are all similar Kuiper Belt objects. I think there are 3-4 known now but everyone expects that to rise. How many dozen planets do you want to have to remember?

Pluto is not even the largest of the Kuiper Belt objects:

Eris 2300–2400 km
Haumea ~ 1,960 × 1,518 × 996 km
Pluto 1153 ± 10 km
Quaoar 890 ± 70 km
Makemake 710 ± 30 km
Ixion 650 +260 −220 km
Varuna from 500 to 1060 km

Pluto has not cleared its orbit of everything of competing size (no chance of it ever clearing out Neptune) but is at least roughly spherical.

One out of three.

Andrew

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

If Pluto had no satellites I could understand saying it isn't a planet but it has enough gravity mass to be the center of its own system of moons that has to mean something surely