Comment on Dwarf Planets are people too

Semjeza@fedinsfw.app ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

• Klear@quokk.au ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  Yeah, people don’t realise that removing Pluto is the conservative choice when it comes to the list of planets.

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  • sik0fewl@piefed.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    It was the only choice if we are expecting elementary students to memorize them all in order.

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• SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  The more the merrier

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• Apepollo11@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  I’d be happy with:

  Pluto = planet

  Anything smaller than Pluto ≠ planet

  Nine planets. Now with clear non-stupid rules.

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  • Semjeza@fedinsfw.app ⁨17⁩ ⁨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.

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    • Apepollo11@lemmy.world ⁨13⁩ ⁨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.

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