Pluto is a planet again

[Kal (Andrew)]

Well, at least it is if you live in the US state of Illinois

link

WHEREAS, Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of the planet Pluto, was born on a farm near the Illinois community of Streator; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Tombaugh served as a researcher at the prestigious Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Tombaugh first detected the presence of Pluto in 1930; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Tombaugh is so far the only Illinoisan and only American to ever discover a planet; and

WHEREAS, For more than 75 years, Pluto was considered the ninth planet of the Solar System; and

WHEREAS, A spacecraft called New Horizons was launched in January 2006 to explore Pluto in the year 2015; and

WHEREAS, Pluto has three moons: Charon, Nix and Hydra; and

WHEREAS, Pluto's average orbit is more than three billion miles from the sun; and

WHEREAS, Pluto was unfairly downgraded to a "dwarf" planet in a vote in which only 4 percent of the International Astronomical Union's 10,000 scientists participated; and

WHEREAS, Many respected astronomers believe Pluto's full planetary status should be restored; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that as Pluto passes overhead through Illinois' night skies, that it be reestablished with full planetary status, and that March 13, 2009 be declared "Pluto Day" in the State of Illinois in honor of the date its discovery was announced in 1930.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Hey, if it makes them happy, why not.

[Kal (Andrew)]

My personal opinion is that politicians should leave the science to the scientists.

[marki]

Good on them. The new description for what constitutes a planet is as ambiguous as hell. Who cares if the solar system ends up having 300 planets or 10000 for that matter. Scientist's are also very good at playing politicians and there is always a huge amount of this going on when scientific bodies are assembled to set boundries. IUPAC comes firmly to mind.

Mark

[Jen]

yay welcome back Pluto (for Illinois anyway)
they should have never changed it in the first place i reakon

[pgc hunter]

Pluto will always be a planet for me, I don't believe in this "dwarf planet" nonsense.

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

Pluto will always be a planet for me, I don't believe in this "dwarf planet" nonsense.

I agree.

[Chrissyo (Chris)]

This is already a pretty complicated topic. This sort of thing doesn't help the issue.

"WHEREAS, Dr. Tombaugh is so far the only Illinoisan and only American to ever discover a planet"

Wrong. I love how the state of Illinois didn't even take the time to check their facts.

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

I will do my best to refrain making comments about the State of Illinois...although I easily could.

I do still call and think of Pluto as a "planet" and have no objection to adding Ceres and Eros into the category as well.


I don't want to hijack the thread but I feel compelled to say that I do find the habit and "need" for politicians to create "a day" for certain things silly...

I suspect that it must be a conspiracy of "card" makers and the government...the former selling the cards and the later pocketing the stamp money.

I can't wait to get my "Pluto Day Card" in the post

For the downtrodden worker class please note in the US at least...
that the 2nd Friday in March is "Employee Appreciation Day" and
that the 3rd Thursday in March is "Companies that Care Day"

I know I feel better already.

[Ric]

Happy Pluto Day Everyone




Why does it have to be called a Dwarf Planet.

A Hobbit Planet sounds so much more cheerful.

Cheers

[spacezebra (Petra)]

Happy Pluto Day!

Yes, Pluto is still a major planet to me!

Cheers Petra d.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

[QUOTE=wavelandscott;421608] I do find the habit and "need" for politicians to create "a day" for certain things silly...
QUOTE]

Unless of course they make that day a public holiday.
Then I'll back them up 100%

[pmrid (Peter)]

Well, you had to sort of expect it didn't you. The same legislature also resolved to impeach the State's Governor and in doing so, resolved to "stop the freak show that has become the Illinois government." This is just their way of doing it, right?

Peter

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Yeah! If it ain't got straight edges and has more surface area than a big city it's a planet, right!!

[erick (Eric)]

[quote=jjjnettie;421664]

Originally Posted by wavelandscott

I do find the habit and "need" for politicians to create "a day" for certain things silly...
QUOTE]

Unless of course they make that day a public holiday.
Then I'll back them up 100%

Here here! A different public holiday for each of the Solar system planets..............





..........and for each of the exoplanets as well!

[desler]

Hobbit planet..... I don't know if the Old TOOK will put up with such "outside our borders" nonsense. Your sounding like that old Bilbo......



Daz

[renormalised (Carl)]

'Bout time someone put their foot down on this subject and set things straight!!!. Yay for Pluto Day.....greeting cards sold separately

[Analog6 (Odille)]

It's a planet to me, always has been, always will be. Bugger their 'all new all singing all dancing' classification.

IT'S A PLANET!!

[robin]

Politics, science & religion should stay 500 metres away from each other at all times. Maybe the large moons of Saturn & Jupiter should be declared planets. Maybe the earth & the moon should be declard & double planet owing to the comjparatively large size of the moon to the earth........

[lacad01 (Adam)]

...and most of the general population would never have known it was down-graded, reclassified and reinstated
"Yeah, of course Pluto's a planet", my daughters tell me