2008 Woodie Awards
Is Neptune Next?
Trisha Snyder
Issue date: 9/26/06 Section: Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
In a time when news is in short supply, the International Astronomical Union decided to help us out with their decision to revoke Pluto's planetary status. Astronomers attempted to keep it as an official planet, but could not find a definition that would maintain Pluto's status without adding several other planets.
This ex-planet was named after Hades, the god of the underworld, and was discovered in 1930 by an astronomer named Clyde Tombaugh. Pluto is 3.67 billion miles away from the sun and is six times smaller than Earth. But, Pluto's orbit is unusual because it tilts at 17 degrees and it crosses the orbit of Neptune which keeps it from fitting into the planet definition. Some scientists say this decision will bring about discussions in classrooms about how science is always changing.
Pluto was the smallest planet in our solar system for 76 years. What changed? Astronomers see one bad Disney movie and decide to take anything that refers to the characters of Walt's imagination out of the solar system. Is our solar system not big enough to include Pluto? Was the little planet not "cool" enough? It's negative 369 degrees Fahrenheit, for God's sake! That sounds like Pluto is a little too cool for me.
The result of changing Pluto's status to "dwarf planet" will not make children more interested in science. It's going to teach kids that what they learned in The Little Engine That Could is not true. Our planetary equivalent to the little train, Pluto, is no longer part of the solar system "clique". Pluto, our little planet-that-could, is now isolated to it's own tiny insignificant corner of space.
So, children of the future need to remember Pluto as a cautionary tale. Just because you have an official title for several decades, doesn't mean it will always be that way. What is the significance of Pluto's demotion? Was this some brilliant scientific discovery or just a result of incredibly bored astronomers? Now, what about Neptune? Is this loner a planet of consequence? Or will it be next to be kicked out of the inner circle?
Why did they choose Pluto out of all of the planetary choices? Why didn't astronomers choose to demote Mars to a different status? Scientists don't like Mars. We keep trying to find intelligent life and have so far been unsuccessful. Why hasn't this disappointment caused a devalued label for Mars? Pluto has never been a threat to anyone. There is no reason to feel intimidated by this ex-planet. There is no necessary reason to take away Pluto's position as a planet. Besides, if Canada can be considered a country, why can't Pluto be a planet?
This ex-planet was named after Hades, the god of the underworld, and was discovered in 1930 by an astronomer named Clyde Tombaugh. Pluto is 3.67 billion miles away from the sun and is six times smaller than Earth. But, Pluto's orbit is unusual because it tilts at 17 degrees and it crosses the orbit of Neptune which keeps it from fitting into the planet definition. Some scientists say this decision will bring about discussions in classrooms about how science is always changing.
Pluto was the smallest planet in our solar system for 76 years. What changed? Astronomers see one bad Disney movie and decide to take anything that refers to the characters of Walt's imagination out of the solar system. Is our solar system not big enough to include Pluto? Was the little planet not "cool" enough? It's negative 369 degrees Fahrenheit, for God's sake! That sounds like Pluto is a little too cool for me.
The result of changing Pluto's status to "dwarf planet" will not make children more interested in science. It's going to teach kids that what they learned in The Little Engine That Could is not true. Our planetary equivalent to the little train, Pluto, is no longer part of the solar system "clique". Pluto, our little planet-that-could, is now isolated to it's own tiny insignificant corner of space.
So, children of the future need to remember Pluto as a cautionary tale. Just because you have an official title for several decades, doesn't mean it will always be that way. What is the significance of Pluto's demotion? Was this some brilliant scientific discovery or just a result of incredibly bored astronomers? Now, what about Neptune? Is this loner a planet of consequence? Or will it be next to be kicked out of the inner circle?
Why did they choose Pluto out of all of the planetary choices? Why didn't astronomers choose to demote Mars to a different status? Scientists don't like Mars. We keep trying to find intelligent life and have so far been unsuccessful. Why hasn't this disappointment caused a devalued label for Mars? Pluto has never been a threat to anyone. There is no reason to feel intimidated by this ex-planet. There is no necessary reason to take away Pluto's position as a planet. Besides, if Canada can be considered a country, why can't Pluto be a planet?
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