Originally Posted By ssWEDguy Disney issued the following press release today in response to the planet Pluto's downgrade. It appeared on the cast portal. ----------------------- Despite Planetary Downgrade, Pluto is Still Disney's 'Dog Star' ----------------------- In reaction to news today that Pluto was demoted to the status of "dwarf planet," the Seven Dwarfs issued their own short statement: "Although we think it's DOPEY that Pluto has been downgraded to a dwarf planet, which has made some people GRUMPY and others just SLEEPY, we are not BASHFUL in saying we would be HAPPY if Disney's Pluto would join us as an 8th dwarf. We think this is just what the DOC ordered and is nothing to SNEEZE at." As Mickey Mouse's faithful companion, Pluto made his debut in 1930 -- the same year that scientists discovered what they believed was a ninth planet. Said a white-gloved, yellow-shoed source close to Disney's top dog, "I think the whole thing is goofy. Pluto has never been interested in astronomy before, other than maybe an occasional howl at the moon."
Originally Posted By irishfan It was anounced today that it has been. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/5282440.stm" target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wor ld/5282440.stm</a>
Originally Posted By vbdad55 bizarre that there choices were to add 3 more planets or take 1 away -- and they went for the take away ( any former Disney - WDW mgmt in that panel ?) sorry - couldn't resist ( and you could substitute a fair number of US companies for Disney in that statement and still be correct)
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <Raises hand> Why is that a catagory called "dwarf plant" anyway? We only know about a handful of planets to begin with? Its not as if there are hundreds of known planets. Does that mean we are actaully going to call Saturn a gasous cloud now since its density is actually less than that of water?
Originally Posted By wahooskipper So, this week I was just starting to teach my 3 year old about the planets when, lo and behold, Pluto gets voted off the island. Trying to explain the planets is hard enough. Trying to explain why Pluto WAS a planet on Wednesday but IS NOT a planet on Thursday is no picnic. What's next? Columbus didn't discover America?
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo "What's next? Columbus didn't discover America?" I thought that was either Lief Erikson or Amerigo Vespucci - dependent on what discovering America actually means?
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> Why is there a category called "dwarf planet" anyway? << They were stuck. Pluto (the astronomical object) clearly is much smaller than all the rest of the "real" planets. And there are a number of other objects even larger than it that aren't listed as planets. It was less confrontational to "downgrade" its designation than to simply say "Ooops -- my bad -- it's just a rock."
Originally Posted By demderedoseguys NEWS FLASH, New York: George Steinbrenner has just claimed Pluto off waivers and the planet will be seen over NY at the next Yankee home game. In a press released issued by the Boss, he stated how Pluto deserved another chance and is something that would enhance the sky over the soon to be constructed new Yankee stadium.
Originally Posted By danyoung For what it's worth, here's the new official description of what makes a planet - "...a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a ... nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit." Pluto missed out in that its orbit wasn't round and cut into Neptune's orbit. In some ways this seems like a small change. But when I think back to my childhood and learning about the NINE planets, it just seems sad to go back to only 8. Ah well, the universe marches on . . .
Originally Posted By utahjosh Good think Gustav Holst didn't include Pluto as a movment in his "Planets" symphony!
Originally Posted By alexbook Not sure if this really belongs in the WDW section. I thought maybe it should go in "World Events," but that's too small. Maybe we need a "Galactic Events" section.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 heck in the W/E section, the loss of Pluto would be blamed on those neo-con republican traitors by some....or due to those lib loser academians and the loss of the planet would be unpatriotic. For any who doubt me - go ahead and open the thread there, I can even tell you which posters will say something close to one of these things it's a free for all -- especially lately
Originally Posted By alexbook I think the problem is the deficit. We can only afford 8 planets these days.
Originally Posted By alexbook So the named dwarf planets are Ceres, Pluto, Xena, Easterbunny, Orcus, Sedna, Santa, Quaoar, Charon, Varuna, and Ixion. I'm still trying to figure out what pantheon they represent.
