Every time I hear or read about Pluto I have this scene run through my mind. Let me set the stage:
Pluto has always been a bit of a loner, out there on the edge, no one really understands him. He knows he's different, he just doesn't know why. Even within his own family, the Solar System he's never fit in. Not quite gaseous like his big brothers, not quite as terrestrial as his sisters. Then one day the sun sits him down.
"You're not like your brothers and sisters," she says. For the purposes of my fantasy the sun is feminine, read in what you will.
"What do you mean," Pluto says, but sensing that what he's always known is about to be confirmed.
"Well, I don't quite know how to put this, but your not a planet."
"But, then... what am I?"
"Heck if I know, we were a happy little family, then we found you on the doorstep and didn't quite know what to do with you. It looks like we prematurely slapped a label on you, and boy aren't we embarrassed. Don't feel too bad, millions of people, generations have just found out that one of the fats of their life was totally wrong and now are questioning everything they ever learned. Boy do they feel lied to. Don't be like them, they're gonna have trouble letting it go. You need to suck it up and get over it. Don't worry. I've packed your bags for you. Good luck. I'd say we'll miss you, but that's not likely."
Cut to a forlorn Pluto standing on the front porch of the only reality he's ever known, with his back to the door, wondering if he will be missed.
I am having trouble letting go. Pluto, you'll always be a planet to me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Don't let go. Pluto IS still a planet. Only four percent of the IAU voted on the controversial demotion, and most are not planetary scientists. Their decision was immediately opposed in a formal petition by hundreds of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto. One reason the IAU definition makes no sense is it says dwarf planets are not planets at all! That is like saying a grizzly bear is not a bear, and it is inconsistent with the use of the term “dwarf” in astronomy, where dwarf stars are still stars, and dwarf galaxies are still galaxies. Also, the IAU definition classifies objects solely by where they are while ignoring what they are. If Earth were in Pluto’s orbit, according to the IAU definition, it would not be a planet either. A definition that takes the same object and makes it a planet in one location and not a planet in another is essentially useless. Pluto is a planet because it is spherical, meaning it is large enough to be pulled into a round shape by its own gravity--a state known as hydrostatic equilibrium and characteristic of planets, not of shapeless asteroids held together by chemical bonds. These reasons are why many astronomers, lay people, and educators are either ignoring the demotion entirely or working to get it overturned.
ReplyDeleteThanks Laurele! I watch the Nova special last night and Neil Tyson gave me hope. My chin is up and I am confident Pluto will be returned to it's throne!
ReplyDelete