tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35476527.post5009424658219258866..comments2024-03-20T17:43:51.396-04:00Comments on The Secret Science Club: PLUTOPALOOZA! The Secret Science Club presents Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on Wednesday, March 18 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, $3 cover chargeSecret Science Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865590228324616266noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35476527.post-27637671412757646532009-03-07T18:56:00.000-05:002009-03-07T18:56:00.000-05:00For further discussion of pro-planet, anti-planet ...For further discussion of pro-planet, anti-planet . . . and plain old silly planet issues, read the article <A HREF="http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/how-i-ken-chang-tormented-neil-degrasse-tyson/" REL="nofollow">"How I (Ken Chang) tormented Neil deGrasse Tyson"</A> and the 80-plus comments about Pluto's status at the <I>New York Times</I> website.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35476527.post-67142472847984261832009-03-07T17:51:00.000-05:002009-03-07T17:51:00.000-05:00Tyson is way premature in declaring Pluto's "fall....Tyson is way premature in declaring Pluto's "fall." In fact, he has distanced himself from the IAU's controversial demotion, accurately labeling it as "flawed." That definition was adopted by only four percent of the IAU, most of whom are not planetary scientists. It was immediately rejected by hundreds of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto.<BR/><BR/>When it comes to Pluto, "he got it wrong." Pluto is not a comet, as he says, because it is large enough to have been pulled into a round shape by its own gravity, a condition known as hydrostatic equilibrium. This is a characteristic of planets and not of shapeless asteroids and Kuiper Belt Objects. Yes, Pluto is a Kuiper Belt Object, but it is also a planet--as are Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.<BR/><BR/>Tyson also glosses over the fact that the IAU definition declares that dwarf planets are not planets at all--a statement that makes no linguistic sense and is inconsistent with the use of the term "dwarf" in astronomy, where dwarf stars are still stars, and dwarf galaxies are still galaxies.<BR/><BR/>People deserve to know that this is an ongoing debate with two sides, that even now, scientists and lay people are working to overturn the demotion or are just ignoring it. For a good view of the other side, why Pluto should be considered a planet, I urge all to read "Is Pluto A Planet?" by Dr. David Weintraub.Laurel Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02387883186244337619noreply@blogger.com