Is it a planet, or is it an 'ism'.
Son-in-law is always on the lookout for special 'stuff of interest' on the web. And he knows me sooooo well that I usually get my best 'stuff' emailed to me from him!
The latest is a further comment on the astronomical (as in 'astro' for stars, not size!) debate about what to categorize and label all the 'celestial' bodies we have encountered out there. It was a strangely sad day when Pluto was demoted (although I wasn't sure if it was really a demotion at all) and the logic confused me. How happy I was to receive an email from Son-in-law, citing a very logical minded and sensible researcher named Alan Stern who claims that a good practical definition of a 'planet' is purely geophysical. IOW it is a celestial body that has enough gravity to pull itself into a sphere. Welcome back Pluto!
But the best (and the part that I knew son-in-law REALLY wanted me to enjoy) was the following, which I must copy here. Looks like the confusion as to what is a planet and what is not, continues on into the 23rd Century.
(External scene of Enterprise)
(Cut to flight deck interior)
Sulu: "We're coming out of warp Captain, Gamma Draconis system dead ahead."
Kirk: "Spock, what's that planet on the forward view screen?"
Spock: "I don't know if it is a planet, Captain"
Kirk: "Spock, it's right there in front of us!"
Spock: "Before I can call it a planet captain I must conduct a survey of the entire Gamma Draconis system and assemble an ephemeris of the motions of all substellar bodies."
Kirk: (puzzled) "Explain, Spock"
Spock: "We need to know if this object on the view screen dynamically dominates its orbit."
Kirk: "What?!"
Spock: "Once a survey of all bodies in the systems is collected we'll need to run a dynamical simulation modeling planet migration and debris belt evolution over the past 4 billion years. I'll have an answer for you in 6.2 hours."
Kirk: "Spock, this is a planet! It's round, it has an atmosphere, oceans, I can even see volcanoes! McCoy, what do you think?"
McCoy: "Damn it, Jim! I'm a doctor not a grammarian!"
Spock: "Respectfully Captain, If you review the Enterprise's memory banks, the science history log chronicles the definition for a planet set forth in by the International Astronomical Union in the Old World year 2006."
Kirk: "That document is nearly 300 years old! Hell, it was written when our ancestors hardly knew of any planets in the galaxy!"
Spock: "The planet definition has never been updated, it is still the reference guide as prescribed by Starfleet."
Kirk: "Unbelievable! Well if we can beam down onto it, it's a planet!"
Spock: "Excuse me Captain, I've just discovered that apparently the IAU definition only applies to our solar system... never mind."
LLAP