8.25 – Space. Originally invented in 1905, it was known that it should be big, really big. After a few states were brought into the United States, it was decided that a few planets should be brought in too! And why not? It seemed that there was room for Space to grow. Considering Space to be the Final Frontier might be a good thing since it seems there’s more to find everyday!
The recent weeks have confounded star-lovers and know-it-alls. Strangely, until now, there hasn’t been a devised a system to separate the planets from the big rocks and various space-crap orbiting Sol, our Sun. Until this gets straightened out, the forgotten victims will be the mnemonics lovers. Will My Very Educated Mother Just Serve Us Nine Pies, or, “how about My Very Educated Mother, Carol, Joyfully Served Us Nine Pizza Crusts 2003UB-313?”
It’s baffling everyone. How many friggin’ planets do we have? The news has been wagged this way and that. Here’s the time line:
1570BC Knowledge of Mars
23SEP1846 Finding Neptune
Last year 2003 UB-313: Larger than Pluto, and just as much an ice-ball; but a “Planet?”
22MAR30 Finding Pluto
Last week “Plutons” defined as more than 200 Earth years to make one year on a Pluton
*(But Plutons already means something else)
16AUG06 Three new planets after 76 years! Planets W, T and F? [jk]
16AUG06 IAU definition goes
‘Live’ 24AUG06. Read carefully: “…the people of planet Earth will wake up to a new world of 12 planets….” – From Planetary.org
17AUG06 IAU strips three bodies from planned “Planet-hood” and, sit down for this, catches dear sweet Pluto in the crossfire!
26AUG06 Internet Entreprenuers plead Pluto’s case as a planet online feeling the little guy should have been ‘Grandfathered’ in.
Going to the International Astronomical Union directly is no good. While they’ve been around since 1919, they haven’t found the time to update their site. The latest news is, “…a planned power outage [will see] the ‘real’ IAU website [closed]….” Gawd. For the love of Minerva (nearly Pluto’s name in 1930). How about the lads at the Backyard Astronomy Meem? Scott Manley, backyard astronomy lover with a PhD no less, has kindly noted the three (3) criteria an object must meet to become a Planet.
1.It must have enough mass and gravity to gather itself into a ball.
2.It must orbit the sun.
3.It must ‘reign supreme’ in its own orbit, having “cleared the neighborhood” of other competing bodies.
In a chat with Scott, he mentioned that he points out Jupiter isn’t alone in its orbit and is a lot bigger than any of the ‘trojans.’ On trojans, Scott says, “Actually, dynamically, some people consider trojans to be satellites since they’re bound in place by the gravity of the two parent bodies.” So a quick visit to celestial definition-land is in order for most of us…
Celestial Sphere/Grid – an imaginary sphere of infinite radius, concentric with the observer, on which all celestial bodies except the earth appear to be projected. A conventional representation of the sky, useful in astronomy for many purposes in which the distances of the stars need not be taken into account. The apparent place of a celestial body on this imaginary sphere is the point where the line of sight, from the observer’s eye to the body, pierces the sphere.
Planet – Answers.com A nonluminous celestial body larger than an asteroid or comet, illuminated by light from a star, such as the sun, around which it revolves.
Moon – Simply, a natural satellite revolving around a planet.
Trojan – Answers.com Of or relating to a celestial body, especially an asteroid, that is in one of the Lagrangian points of a two-body system. Used especially of any of a group of asteroids that orbit at Jupiter’s distance from the sun, but 60° ahead of or behind the planet.
While Scott pointed out that Jupiter wasn’t alone in its orbit, the Lagrangian points illustrate that Jupiter is not in a neighborhood of ‘competing bodies.’ This means we’ll be keeping Jupiter on the shrinking list of planets. The time line shows the IAU reversing itself in the same day; Scott points out Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Objects as the reason. With the exception of Ceres (mnemonically named Carol above), most objects bigger than Pluto come from this distant expanse of objects.
While many EKBObjects are loosley charted, their sizes and discoveries of new, unnamed objects could add still more planets to our solar system had the IAU not cut out the potential. “We’re pretty sure that there aren’t any bigger asteroids than Ceres but out on the edge of the solar system we’re discovering large objects,” Scott explains. And there’s a lot out there a two-dimensional plotting reveals.
Now for the fun twist! Discussions over Astrology’s fate have been surprisingly well-grounded in the fact that Astrology existed before 1930 without knowledge of Pluto even though according to KindredSpirit.co.uk, “Pluto [puts] us in touch with out inner truth or guidance…” Sounds like trouble. Many Very Educated Men Just Sleep Until Nine? M V E M J S U N – Good luck.
