I’d be happy with:
Pluto = planet
Anything smaller than Pluto ≠ planet
Nine planets. Now with clear non-stupid rules.
Comment on Dwarf Planets are people too
Semjeza@fedinsfw.app 1 day ago
I’m only down with the “Pluto is a planet” crowd, if they rep Ceres and at least one of the others (Eris, Hamuhea, Makemake, or one of the others I forget).
Apepollo11@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Semjeza@fedinsfw.app 7 hours ago
The arbitrary cutoff size being to ensure continuity of the scientific consensus in popular awareness when I was a child isn’t a stupid rule.
Not even when a larger kuiper belt object is found.
Not even, when since mass is the primary means of estimating size until we fly a probe out there, we estimate a smaller but much with much more mass object to be larger and we debate a 10th planet yet again.
Apepollo11@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
Hey, if we find something bigger than Pluto, then by all means let’s call it a planet.
By any reasonable person’s definition of a planet, Pluto is a planet. It’s a rocky spherical mass that orbits the sun, with a varied terrain of mountains, plains and glaciers. It has days and seasons. It has its own system of moons.
Additionally, bythe IAU’s stupid definition of a Dwarf Planet, Charon should really be called a dwarf planet too. It isn’t a satellite in a meaningful sense - both Pluto and Charon orbit a point between them. The other moons also orbit this space between Charon and Pluto.
Want to know why it isn’t? Because the IAU class it as a planetary satellite. What’s the formal definition of a planetary satellite then? There isn’t one. It was discussed, but a formal definition was not decided upon. Charon is literally a moon now because it was called a moon before the definition of a planet was changed.
I’m all for formal definitions, but the IAUs current rules are just really sloppy. It’s maddening.
SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 1 day ago
The more the merrier
Klear@quokk.au 22 hours ago
Yeah, people don’t realise that removing Pluto is the conservative choice when it comes to the list of planets.
sik0fewl@piefed.ca 17 hours ago
It was the only choice if we are expecting elementary students to memorize them all in order.