Plutogate II : revenge of the plutoids
Apparently the IAU feels that poking ant hills with sticks is a good thing:
IAU defines term 'plutoids' for dwarf planets beyond Neptune's orbit:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25097567/
I maintain that it's an entirely arbitrary term, but it's going to get the pro-planet crowd all riled up (as it absolutely should). I also don't like the fact that it makes Ceres (which is a big asteriod orbiting between Mars and Jupiter) its own category--of course, I never liked the 'dwarf planet' term anyway. If you're going to say something isn't a planet just say it isn't and accept the fact that people are going to disagree. Don't go making up terminology in an attempt to avoid controversy. Science *should* cause debate and discussion.
The nice part is that there's apparently a meeting to 'discuss' the controversy in August. I am totally attending, solely for the lulz.
IAU defines term 'plutoids' for dwarf planets beyond Neptune's orbit:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25097567/
I maintain that it's an entirely arbitrary term, but it's going to get the pro-planet crowd all riled up (as it absolutely should). I also don't like the fact that it makes Ceres (which is a big asteriod orbiting between Mars and Jupiter) its own category--of course, I never liked the 'dwarf planet' term anyway. If you're going to say something isn't a planet just say it isn't and accept the fact that people are going to disagree. Don't go making up terminology in an attempt to avoid controversy. Science *should* cause debate and discussion.
The nice part is that there's apparently a meeting to 'discuss' the controversy in August. I am totally attending, solely for the lulz.