Comments on: Pluto Gets Consolation Prize, Will Thumb Nose at Astronomers Forever

By: JimFiore

JimFiore — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:42:36 +0000

RE: Two StoogesI can certainly imagine a world in which two stooges occupy them White House.Oh wait, I don't have to imagine.

By: whomever1

whomever1 — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:40:20 +0000

Well, I was annoyed by your capitalization in the line “Pluto is to Plutoids as Kleenex is to Kleenex.” Shouldn’t that be “Pluto is to plutoids as Kleenex is to kleenex”? Or is Kimberly-Clarke still suing people who don’t capitalize their product name, so to disguize knuckling under to the capitalists (and for the sake of symmetry) you capitalized “Plutoids” too?

By: JanieBelle

JanieBelle — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:49:52 +0000

It’s just a largest Kupier Belt object left.

I’m not even sure that’s accurate. Don’t we know of a bigger one already, and suspect there may be thousands more?

By: Jim RL

Jim RL — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:17:11 +0000

Quite frankly, I think Mercury has gotten pretty uppity lately. Let’s demote it too. Seven is most definitely a magic number.Odd numbers seem more likely to “magic” than even ones. I wonder why that is? Six is definitely magic, though.In all honesty, I think Pluto deserves the demotion. It’s just a largest Kupier Belt object left.

By: JanieBelle

JanieBelle — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:13:07 +0000

Ok, you win, silly boy.I’m not feeling much like putting up a dazzling display of witty repartee today, so put an asterisk beside this victory of yours.:)

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:27:28 +0000

Janie: My point exactly!Both five and nine are magic numbers. Eight is not.

By: JanieBelle

JanieBelle — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:10:28 +0000

So we should call them “The Nine Planets” even if there’s only eight, or if there’s twelve?By that logic, shouldn’t we call them “The Five Planets”?They were “The Five Planets” for much longer than they were “The Nine”.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:33:11 +0000

P.B: My point exactly! They were, indubitably, the THREE stooges. Yet there were five of them (ounting Shemp and Curly). (Like Alan Said).M_Fox: My point exactly!

By: Yogioid

Yogioid — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:18:09 +0000

Gregoid,I can’t imagine what was eating the minds of the IAUoids when they decided that Plutoid was not a planetoid.Nine planetoids! Perfetoid! The asteroids and the androids throughout the Cosmoids Rejoice!Pythagaroid and Platoid are rolling in their Gravoids.Those IAUoids must have been having a bad time with their hemorrhoids!Any android will tell them of course there’s nine planetoids.It’s the music of the Spheroids!Cheers,Yogioid

By: M_Fox

M_Fox — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:35:00 +0000

Ah, they just should have grandfathered Pluto into the planet club.