Comments on: A Planet by Any Other Name http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/ Science, astronomy, politics, movies, and various minutiae. Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:50:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: JC http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/comment-page-1/#comment-1572 JC Sat, 03 Mar 2007 21:56:53 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/#comment-1572 "Oboloi", eh? Reminds me of The War of the Worlds and the Eloi. “Oboloi”, eh? Reminds me of The War of the Worlds and the Eloi.

]]> By: J Soles http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/comment-page-1/#comment-1479 J Soles Tue, 27 Feb 2007 23:22:05 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/#comment-1479 i like the idea of calling all KBO's 'oboloi', after the coins placed withthe dead to pay Charon for ferrying them across the river to pluto's kingdom....and then 'Kuiper belt' can be the generic term we use for our, and other, solar systems.. i like the idea of calling all KBO’s ‘oboloi’, after the coins placed withthe dead to pay Charon for ferrying them across the river to pluto’s kingdom….and then ‘Kuiper belt’ can be the generic term we use for our, and other, solar systems..

]]> By: F.Baube http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/comment-page-1/#comment-43 F.Baube Thu, 17 Aug 2006 04:48:42 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/#comment-43 They want to demote Pluto simply because they can. A heady power trip for dolts tethered to desks. Leave Pluto alone. Its planetary status is a historical (arti)fact. Go pick on something your own size. They want to demote Pluto simply because they can. A heady power trip for dolts tethered to desks.
Leave Pluto alone. Its planetary status is a historical (arti)fact. Go pick on something your own size.

]]> By: King Aardvark http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/comment-page-1/#comment-42 King Aardvark Wed, 16 Aug 2006 16:30:06 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/#comment-42 I have to agree with you on demoting Pluto. The newly proposed criteria is too inclusive; conceivably, we could have hundreds of planets in our solar system. Hell, even Charon and the asteroid Ceres are up for promotion! Ugh. My feeling is that anything still in its native debris field is not a planet, so no asteroids or KBOs. If it were really a planet, it would have cleared its own swath of debris away. I have to agree with you on demoting Pluto. The newly proposed criteria is too inclusive; conceivably, we could have hundreds of planets in our solar system.

Hell, even Charon and the asteroid Ceres are up for promotion! Ugh.

My feeling is that anything still in its native debris field is not a planet, so no asteroids or KBOs. If it were really a planet, it would have cleared its own swath of debris away.

]]> By: JC http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/comment-page-1/#comment-36 JC Mon, 07 Aug 2006 04:18:23 +0000 http://joshuacolwell.com/blog/index.php/2006/a-planet-by-any-other-name/#comment-36 I said above that it's hard to come up with a definition that includes Pluto and does not also include many other objects. Basically, I think whatever definition is chosen, the number of planets in the solar system will no longer be 9. Demoting Pluto would allow the number to reasonably remain 8, but it is also possible, maybe even likely given the unpopularity of the idea of demoting Pluto, that they will make the definition more expansive, including Pluto and many other KBOs and perhaps some asteroids as well. I said above that it’s hard to come up with a definition that includes Pluto and does not also include many other objects. Basically, I think whatever definition is chosen, the number of planets in the solar system will no longer be 9. Demoting Pluto would allow the number to reasonably remain 8, but it is also possible, maybe even likely given the unpopularity of the idea of demoting Pluto, that they will make the definition more expansive, including Pluto and many other KBOs and perhaps some asteroids as well.

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