Re: Pluto not a planet?
- From: tmcd@xxxxxxxxx (Tim McDaniel)
- Date: 25 Aug 2006 16:02:52 -0500
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5283956.stm> is an interesting
article, in that it doesn't just talk about the proposals (badly, in
most cases), but talks about motivations and other details:
Pluto vote 'hijacked' in revolt
By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News
A fierce backlash has begun against the decision by astronomers to
strip Pluto of its status as a planet.
On Thursday, experts approved a definition of a planet that
demoted Pluto to a lesser category of object. ...
And the chair of the committee set up to oversee agreement on a
definition implied that the vote had effectively been "hijacked".
The vote took place at the International Astronomical Union's
(IAU) 10-day General Assembly in Prague. The IAU has been the
official naming body for astronomy since 1919.
Only 424 astronomers who remained in Prague for the last day of
the meeting took part. ...
Owen Gingerich chaired the IAU's planet definition committee and
helped draft an initial proposal raising the number of planets
from nine to 12.
The Harvard professor emeritus blamed the outcome in large part on
a "revolt" by dynamicists - astronomers who study the motion and
gravitational effects of celestial objects.
"In our initial proposal we took the definition of a planet that
the planetary geologists would like. The dynamicists felt terribly
insulted that we had not consulted with them to get their
views. Somehow, there were enough of them to raise a big hue and
cry," Professor Gingerich said.
"Their revolt raised enough of a fuss to destroy the scientific
integrity and subtlety of the [earlier] resolution." ...
But other astronomers were happy to see Pluto cast from the
official roster of planets. Professor Iwan Williams, the IAU's
president of planetary systems science, commented: "Pluto has lots
and lots of friends; we're not so keen to have Pluto and all his
friends in the club because it gets crowded.
"By the end of the decade, we would have had 100 planets, and I
think people would have said 'my goodness, what a mess they made
back in 2006'."
And other opinions.
--
Tim McDaniel; Reply-To: tmcd@xxxxxxxxx
.
- References:
- Pluto not a planet?
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- Pluto not a planet?
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