Well this is especially disappointing. Pluto has been demoted by the International Astronomical Union, and is no longer a planet. Granted, the behavior and size of Pluto worked against it, as well as the fact that scientists discovered another Kuiper Belt object (2003 UB313) that was larger. Still, I always kind of liked Pluto for being remote, mysterious and quite different from the other planets. This definitely takes some of the shine off.
You would think that, given the fact that what is or isn't a planet is a totally arbitrary decision, scientists would have come up with a system that included Pluto, if for no other reason than to honor Clyde Tombaugh's improbable discovery of it in 1932. Isn't is more interesting to add planets to the solar system, as this proposal would have, rather than take them away?
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Now what am I going to do about my mnemonic for remembering the planets in order!
I bet a lot of those astronomers write textbooks. THAT's their reason for bringing Pluto down!
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