Pluto's Demotion

[Pichu_XP]

A history lesson (Skip if you wish):
As many of you may already know, Pluto has been striped of its title as a planet and is now a dwarf planet. The controversy concerning whether or not Pluto is deservent of its title as a planet has been around for years. Mainly due to its irregularity (an outer planet composed of dust and ice) and its size (smaller than some moons). Well, after a few years and the discover of other bodies beyond Pluto (one of which bigger than Pluto), the IAU decided to place some requirements as to what an object must be in order to be classified as a planet. They are as follows:

1. The object must be in orbit around the Sun.
2. The object must be massive enough to be a sphere by its own gravitational force. More specifically, its own gravity should pull it into a shape of hydrostatic equilibrium.
3. It must have cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

Pluto, failing the third requirement (it crosses through another planets orbit), lost its former title as a planet.

Personally I find that the IAU's standards are stupid. Plain stupid. The third one anyways.
The third one says that the object's orbit must not cross any other objects' orbits. That's just silly. Seeing as Earth itself, crosses into the orbit of several thousand objects close to its size. Does that make our planet a dwarf one as well?
In fact, Mars' and Jupiter's orbits crosses others' as well. Why aren't they demoted.
All in all, if the IAU decides to demote a planet, they should at least have a good reason to.

That's my opinion on Pluto's demotion. How about sharing your view on this?

[cC@Zz]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

I do agree that the 3rd rule is stupid. Personally I think they should have kept Pluto classified as a planet.

[itmorr]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

I think Pluto shouldn't have been demoted from being a planet.

[Pichu_XP]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

I think I should add a poll.
EDIT: Should've made one while I still had the chance.

[jchinzilla]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

in the wise words of the 2 Skinnee J's, PLUTO IS A PLANET!

[Afrobean]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

I never considered Pluto a true planet. The only reason you guys do is because that's what people always told you. It's entirely not like any planet. If I had classified it, I would have called it a planetoid.

In the end, people complaining about the change in title are just being whiny bitches because they think that since it was called a planet before, it should always be called a planet. Honestly, I don't see why it took them so long for the scientific community to get their collective thumbs out of their collective asses and get this changed.

[Ruu]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

Calling Pluto a planet, would basically mean the hundreds of moons in our Solar system would be considered planets. With the exception of a few.

[סּ_סּ]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

the only reason why people want it to be a planet again is because it was taught to us at schools and everything. It's not exactly awkward or anything to remember being the last planet and all.

[cC@Zz]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

Calling Pluto a planet, would basically mean the hundreds of moons in our Solar system would be considered planets. With the exception of a few.

Well call them planets then. I moons should be considered planets as well. I consider any massive object with its own gravitational force a planet.

[RandomPscho]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

I consider any massive object with its own gravitational force a planet.

Everything exerts a gravitational force. Massive is an opinion. With that logic I can consider an ant to be a planet... It is bigger than atoms so I'll consider it massive, and it has a gravitation force.

[cC@Zz]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

Everything exerts a gravitational force. Massive is an opinion. With that logic I can consider an ant to be a planet... It is bigger than atoms so I'll consider it massive, and it has a gravitation force.

Alright I should been more specific. Like objects in space that orbit around the sun. Like something that meets the first two qualifications in the first post of the thread.

[Afrobean]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

Alright I should been more specific. Like objects in space that orbit around the sun. Like something that meets the first two qualifications in the first post of the thread.

Let's take a look at Earth's moon. Would you call that a planet?

Sure, the Moon's orbit around the Sun is staggered thanks to its simultaneous orbit around the Earth, but take a look at Charon. They say that Charon and Pluto could easily be considered a binary system BECAUSE THEIR CENTER POINT OF ORBIT IS NOT WITHIN EITHER BODY. Basically, they're moons of each other in a way. Pluto just got the title of planet because it's a bit bigger.

[OnlyTheClouds]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

Which moons don't, so if they decided Pluto was a planet still, it wouldn't matter about the moons because they don't orbit the Sun. Maybe there were more specifications as to why Pluto wasn't a planet after all. Are you sure that those 3 are the only rules the IAU went by? Post a link to your source, please.

[cC@Zz]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

Let's take a look at Earth's moon. Would you call that a planet?

Sure, the Moon's orbit around the Sun is staggered thanks to its simultaneous orbit around the Earth, but take a look at Charon. They say that Charon and Pluto could easily be considered a binary system BECAUSE THEIR CENTER POINT OF ORBIT IS NOT WITHIN EITHER BODY. Basically, they're moons of each other in a way. Pluto just got the title of planet because it's a bit bigger.

Well knowing all that I guess I wouldn't consider the moon a planet.

[Afrobean]

Re: Pluto's Demotion

Well knowing all that I guess I wouldn't consider the moon a planet.

I didn't know that before today, but I still never considered it a true planet.

Learn to think for yourself and don't just accept what your teacher has to say about what is or is not a planet. Pluto is unlike the nearby planets and is ****ing way too small.