[meteorite-list] 'Plutons' Push Planet Total Up To 12

[E.P. Grondine]

Hi all - 

Everybody loved Clyde, so they don't want to take the
honor of discovering a planet away from him.  But for
the future, making him the discoverer of the first KBO
would not be that much of a demotion, and might be a
raise - that is the FIRST KBO.

Minor Planets are those located between Mars and
Jupiter at some point in their orbits, plus a few that
are betweeen the Earth and Jupiter.

I hope this clears everything up.

Now while they're all together there, do any of these
guys and gals know where the 64 fragments of
Schwassmann Wachmann 3 are going to be in 2022?

good hunting, 
Ed



--- Larry Lebofsky <lebofsky at lpl.arizona.edu> wrote:


> Hi Chris:

> 

> Since your two posts on this subjsetc, I think some

> of the responders have 

> gotten a little out of hand and think that they know

> more than everyone else.

> 

> 1. This is the second committee to have dealt with

> the issue of determining a 

> definition of a planet.

> 

> 2. A lot of the discussion of the second committee

> was based heavily on what 

> the first committee did.

> 

> 3. A lot of effort was put into the formation of

> this committee to get a 

> crosssection of the community from a variety of

> countries and included a 

> premier science writer and an astronomy historian.

> To some of you listening, do 

> you think that in the two or three milliseconds that

> you thought about what was 

> proposed by this IAU committee that you are better

> qualified to come up with a 

> solution?

> 

> 4. Now that I have vented my splean, I will respond

> to your emails, Chris. 

> 

> 5. Yes, the IAU does have the authority to make such

> decisions! They are the 

> organization recognized by ALL astronomers as the

> organization who can do such 

> things. They OK the names of asteroids and comets

> and are the organization who 

> came up with the 88 constellations that we have

> today. 

> 

> 6. Which brings me back to your second (I think)

> email. First a side note to 

> Ed, I think (am losing track of the emails, I dumped

> enough on Sterling). 

> Granted there are only 7 continents and 7 seas,

> should we limit ourselves to 9 

> US states because that is all you can remember or 9

> countries (I will not go 

> there)? 

> 

> 7. I have spent nearly two decades doing science

> education (3.5 doing science) 

> and one of the most important things that we can

> teach are kids is that science 

> is dynamic and that numbers change. When I grew up

> there were 32 moons in the 

> Solar System and no extra solar planets (and no

> Kuiper Belt Objects). However, 

> I have changes what I teach as we learn more. That

> is the true nature of 

> science. If you were teaching in 1930 would you have

> left the Solar System with 

> 8 planets? or in the early 1700s, kept the Solar

> System at 6 planets? 

> Traditionally, the Earth is the center of the

> universe, why not let well enough 

> alone? Get a little off track, sorry.

> 

> 8. A lot of effort and a lot of thought went into

> this decision both from a 

> SCIENTIFIC (not technical) perspective and from an

> historical perspective. I 

> know all of the people on the first committee and

> many of the people on the 

> second one and I have respect for them and for their

> decision. While this is 

> only a proposal to the IAU General Assembly and may

> change before next week 

> (doubt there will be much of a change), I think that

> you are doing a disservice 

> to your students by telling them that there are only

> nine planets (it is all 

> over the news, how can they miss it).

> 

> Chris, if you want to continue this discussion

> offline, please feel free to 

> contact me.

> 

> Larry

> 

> 

> -- 

> Dr. Larry A. Lebofsky

> Senior Research Scientist

> Co-editor, Meteorite                      "If you

> give a man a fish,   

> Lunar and Planetary Laboratory               you

> feed him for a day.

> 1541 East University                       If you

> teach a man to fish,

> University of Arizona                        you

> feed him for a lifetime."

> Tucson, AZ 85721-0063                               

>      ~Chinese Proverb

> Phone:  520-621-6947

> FAX:    520-621-8364

> e-mail: lebofsky at lpl.arizona.edu

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