Is Pluto a Planet?

[m4rble]

Technically we wouldn't have to define all those other ones as planets if we changed the definition of planet to mean what it currently means and added onto the end "and pluto". It entirely depends on how the category is defined. Not all groups are made with a set of consistent characteristics. Some are just a collection of separate things that people decided to put together. I'm not advocating categorizing Pluto as a planet, I'm just saying it would be possible to do without changing any of the other rules for how we sort planets.

Well, we could do the same thing with orientations: All asexuals and Sharon, my next-door neighbor. Who is sexual, but why should we be consistent?

You could do that. I wouldn't argue against it.

[Sally]

Technically we wouldn't have to define all those other ones as planets if we changed the definition of planet to mean what it currently means and added onto the end "and pluto". It entirely depends on how the category is defined. Not all groups are made with a set of consistent characteristics. Some are just a collection of separate things that people decided to put together. I'm not advocating categorizing Pluto as a planet, I'm just saying it would be possible to do without changing any of the other rules for how we sort planets.

Well, we could do the same thing with orientations: All asexuals and Sharon, my next-door neighbor. Who is sexual, but why should we be consistent?

You could do that. I wouldn't argue against it.

But I wouldn't, because I know that Sharon is not asexual. It would be silly to essentially give her a free ride in the asexual group. She would think it was silly also.

Of course, Pluto neither knows nor cares, but we do, and without accurate nomenclature, science is nonfunctional.

Off-topic: Which reminds me that an old boss of mine, a hematologist/oncologist, pronounced nomenclature as "no-MEN-clature", which drove every one nuts since we pronounced it "NO-men-CLA-ture."

[Tarfeather]

no-WOMYN-cla-ture?

[Sally]

no-WOMYN-cla-ture?

It would be nowo-MEN-cla-ture. I'm a standard feminist.

[CrazyCatLover]

The experts have concluded that it is a planetoid, not a planet. I defer to their judgement.

[Guest]

yes

[AceOfHawks]

Either they change its name or it will always be a planet to me. Pluto in Roman mythology is one of the strongest deities, along with Jupiter and Neptune. There's no fairness to give his name to what they consider a dwarf planet, when we have Mercury, Venus and Mars which are considered planets.

If and when they change its name to that of a minor deity or someone non-divine, I will consider it a dwarf planet.

[m4rble]

Either they change its name or it will always be a planet to me. Pluto in Roman mythology is one of the strongest deities, along with Jupiter and Neptune. There's no fairness to give his name to what they consider a dwarf planet, when we have Mercury, Venus and Mars which are considered planets.

If and when they change its name to that of a minor deity or someone non-divine, I will consider it a dwarf planet.

You seem to be under the impression that being called a dwarf planet lowers it's status in a social hierarchy. That doesn't really make sense though.

[Baam]

Scientists have just discovered a moon orbiting Makemake, rendering Pluto just that little more bit unspecial.

http://www.iflscience.com/space/moon-discovered-around-dwarf-planet-makemake

[Guest]

Scientists have just discovered a moon orbiting Makemake, rendering Pluto just that little more bit unspecial.

http://www.iflscience.com/space/moon-discovered-around-dwarf-planet-makemake

Damn. We live in interesting times. A year ago, I had no clue Makemake even existed. :o

[SpaceDustbin]

My nostalgia says a big yes, if only for the sake of the 'Sesame Street and Milky Way' tape we used to have, which had an awesome song about the 9 planets orbiting the sun. And let's face it, the rest of the tape was great as well, ha!

( https://youtu.be/46a8sILxfGAthe song in question starts at 5:51)

Nostalgia aside.. I think I have to agree that it's not officially a planet anymore

[kayoftheroundtable]

Pluto is a Plutoid!

And "plutoid" is a much cooler world than "planet"

(can Earth be a plutoid too?)

[Hermit Advocate]

Viva la Pluto!

[Voyager_2]

Scientifically no, emotionally yes

[SpaceShark]

I think of Pluto as a planet. It is what I grew up with. My dad was always taking us (as in the family) to Star Parties and Astronomy get togethers.

I also grew up listening to Planet X by Crhistine Lavin. Which probably helped shape my view on the matter.

[TheTorterra]

I tend to take the most scientific stances on things, so Pluto is not a planet.

Now, if there's enough evidence to support Pluto being a planet rather than a dwarf planet, more than there is for its current placement, I'll change my stance. I believe it's even up for debate now among scholars of the cosmos, so I await further publications.

As of now, though, Pluto fits the criteria for a dwarf planet quite well, as has been established in this thread. The unambiguous (if I recall correctly) dwarf planet Eris is actually bigger than Pluto!

And as for those who would claim that Pluto was "demoted" by its reclassification, I ask that you consider the following. Pluto stayed exactly the same after we reclassified it, it was only how we classified it that changed. We saw that Pluto didn't really fit with the other planets, but actually did fit with a few other small objects in the solar system. A similar thing happens in sciences concerning life. Up until recently, the pygmy right whale (linked to an illustration) was thought to be a somewhat odd and diminutive relative of the other right whales. However, scientists analyzed fossil remains of whales alongside their living counterparts and concluded that the small whale was actually a living member of an otherwise extinct group of whales, the cetotheres (meaning whale/sea monster beasts). Above all else, this should be considered food for thought.

[TattooedSherlock]

i live in the town where the guy that discovered pluto named clyde tombaugh lived. i actually have had a sunday dinner with his daughter. there is an elementary school here named after him. everyone in the whole town still gets really offended about the whole thing ;)

[cavalier080854]

Didn't I read somewhere that a new, much larger object has been found outside the orbit of Pluto, but yet to be verified?

[Guest]

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