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Post by Arlon10 on Sept 12, 2020 20:32:18 GMT
I always wanted to say something like that. In the early days of computer discussion boards when amateurs were "debating" the role of religion in society, science, and their personal misreadings of their surroundings some "atheist" would say, "The Earth is round," as a way of implying anyone who saw any use for religion did not know the Earth is round. I digress. Actually what I want to talk about here is the space probe New Horizons that is the first and only one to approach Pluto for detailed images. This is especially interesting because when the New Horizons launched in January 2006 Pluto was still considered a planet. It was later in August 2006 that the definition of a planet excluded Pluto. The new requirements for a planet ... - It must orbit a star (in our cosmic neighborhood, the Sun).
- It must be big enough to have enough gravity to force it into a spherical shape.
- It must be big enough that its gravity cleared away any other objects of a similar size near its orbit around the Sun.
Also very interesting, when the New Horizon reached Pluto in 2015 it found a spherical one. So what's the problem now?
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Post by Arlon10 on Sept 12, 2020 21:56:43 GMT
It hasn't cleared it's orbit? Although the asteroid belt is "mostly" between Mars and Jupiter, quite much reaches into the orbit of Mars. The "orbits" of objects beyond Neptune are so much "larger" the task of "clearing" such a vast orbit becomes something else altogether. Plus I am not convinced any other Trans-Neptunian objects count as being in Pluto's orbit. There was an issue of whether to call Eris a "tenth" planet. It is considered Trans-Neptunian and it is three times as far from the Sun as Pluto. It beats me.
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Post by Sarge on Sept 14, 2020 2:03:38 GMT
"early days of computer discussion boards" - what do you mean by that? Are you talking UseNet, CompuServe, BBS's? Or do you mean later after the WWW? I've been around awhile too and might have participated in some of those discussion although I don't remember that particular phrase.
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Post by Arlon10 on Sept 17, 2020 6:39:26 GMT
"early days of computer discussion boards" - what do you mean by that? Are you talking UseNet, CompuServe, BBS's? Or do you mean later after the WWW? I've been around awhile too and might have participated in some of those discussion although I don't remember that particular phrase. If I remember correctly, and it's possible I don't, it was Compuserve.
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Post by Sarge on Sept 17, 2020 18:28:41 GMT
"early days of computer discussion boards" - what do you mean by that? Are you talking UseNet, CompuServe, BBS's? Or do you mean later after the WWW? I've been around awhile too and might have participated in some of those discussion although I don't remember that particular phrase. If I remember correctly, and it's possible I don't, it was Compuserve. Those were the days when I paid by the minute. Get on, download discussions, go offline to reply, then online to upload the responses hopefully without going over one minute. |
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Post by Hairynosedwombat on Oct 9, 2020 4:46:22 GMT
I always wanted to say something like that. The new requirements for a planet ... - It must orbit a star (in our cosmic neighborhood, the Sun).
- It must be big enough to have enough gravity to force it into a spherical shape.
- It must be big enough that its gravity cleared away any other objects of a similar size near its orbit around the Sun.
Also very interesting, when the New Horizon reached Pluto in 2015 it found a spherical one. So what's the problem now?
One problem is naming the planets. It is speculated that there are dozens of "dwarf planets" beyond the orbit of Pluto. It is all very well to include Pluto in the top club because it is easy to remember 9 planets. Quiz shows will prove that even 8 planets discambobulate most people. if Pluto was allowed back into the Planet Club we might have to memorise 20, 30, 40 planets. C'est impossible!
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Post by Arlon10 on Oct 9, 2020 9:54:39 GMT
I always wanted to say something like that. The new requirements for a planet ... - It must orbit a star (in our cosmic neighborhood, the Sun).
- It must be big enough to have enough gravity to force it into a spherical shape.
- It must be big enough that its gravity cleared away any other objects of a similar size near its orbit around the Sun.
Also very interesting, when the New Horizon reached Pluto in 2015 it found a spherical one. So what's the problem now?
One problem is naming the planets. It is speculated that there are dozens of "dwarf planets" beyond the orbit of Pluto. It is all very well to include Pluto in the top club because it is easy to remember 9 planets. Quiz shows will prove that even 8 planets discambobulate most people. if Pluto was allowed back into the Planet Club we might have to memorise 20, 30, 40 planets. C'est impossible! There's something suspicious about that. If Pluto didn't clear its path of similar sizes objects what took so long to figure that out? And how exactly was it figured out? In news not necessarily related, Estee Lauder is sending their product to the International Space Station to be photographed there, I would guess mostly for the publicity. The reason so many people thought Pluto was not spherical is that patches of its surface have a dark "complexion" that didn't show up against the background of space until the New Horizons probe got close enough to detect the faint difference.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 18, 2020 3:05:36 GMT
The solar system is huge beyond Pluto, Kuiper Belt and beyond that the Oort cloud, all kinds of stuff out there.
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Post by Hairynosedwombat on Dec 10, 2020 12:51:52 GMT
I always wanted to say something like that. In the early days of computer discussion boards when amateurs were "debating" the role of religion in society, science, and their personal misreadings of their surroundings some "atheist" would say, "The Earth is round," as a way of implying anyone who saw any use for religion did not know the Earth is round. I digress. Actually what I want to talk about here is the space probe New Horizons that is the first and only one to approach Pluto for detailed images. This is especially interesting because when the New Horizons launched in January 2006 Pluto was still considered a planet. It was later in August 2006 that the definition of a planet excluded Pluto. The new requirements for a planet ... - It must orbit a star (in our cosmic neighborhood, the Sun).
- It must be big enough to have enough gravity to force it into a spherical shape.
- It must be big enough that its gravity cleared away any other objects of a similar size near its orbit around the Sun.
Also very interesting, when the New Horizon reached Pluto in 2015 it found a spherical one. So what's the problem now?
i recently saw more about Plutos history. When Pluto was discovered in 1930 people were pleased to find a 9th planet. Then the Kuiper belt was discovered in the 1980s it was realised Pluto was better considered the first and largest Kuiper belt object. Most Kuiper belt objects are aligned in approximately the same direction in highly elliptical orbits. One simulation suggests that is because there is a 9th planet, somewhat larger than Jupiter so far out it may only be visible to the largest telescopes on the darkest nights, maybe once or twice a year, so the search is on.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Dec 10, 2020 18:41:31 GMT
When it was decided that Pluto was not a planet anymore in 2006 i think it was, i was against it and thought Pluto is a planet no matter what some scientist has to say about it.
But as times have gone by i have changed my tune and i think it was right to make Pluto a dwarf planet as it does not meet the three criteria the IAU uses to define a full-sized planet. It meets two out of three if i am not mistaken.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2020 16:09:51 GMT
Inb4 Uranus which is really more star-shaped than rou d
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Post by Sarge on Sept 22, 2021 6:04:50 GMT
Apparently the astronomer who orchestrated the last minute vote to downgrade Pluto is the same guy claiming he has evidence for a "9th planet," so I see his agenda all along was to steal the coveted 9th planet title.
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Post by Jonesy1 on Sept 22, 2021 7:05:51 GMT
Doesn't look very round to me.  |
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Post by Orlando City Cat on Oct 14, 2021 6:04:34 GMT
That's no Minor Planet. It's a Space Station.
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Post by politicidal on Oct 15, 2021 17:05:09 GMT
Apparently the astronomer who orchestrated the last minute vote to downgrade Pluto is the same guy claiming he has evidence for a "9th planet," so I see his agenda all along was to steal the coveted 9th planet title. There’s a man thinking big. |
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