8/24/2006

So if Pluto isn't, then why is Neptune?


OK. I finally found a site that provides the complete text of the approved IAU resolution defining planets and dwarf planets. I still don't understand it. I keep reading that Pluto is no longer to be considered a planet because it " has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit", since it overlaps with the orbit of Neptune. Wouldn't that mean Neptune wasn't a planet, either? If not, why not? Any members of the IAU read this? (ha ha) Can anyone else spell this out for me?

PS: The images at right (or above... whatever) were made from the original plates used to discover Pluto. Pluto is indicated by arrows, which show that it moved between exposures. Those crazy old-timey astronomers!

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