MetaFilter posts tagged with pluto

"And then I said, 'why not call it Pluto?' And the whole thing stemmed from that."

Morrigan — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:02:22 -0800

Venetia Phair, who named Pluto as a child, dies at 90. The subject of a short film, "Naming Pluto," observed, " "It's interesting isn't it, that as they come to demote Pluto, so the interest in it seems to have grown," she says. Pre vious ly.

From Frisbie Pi to Pluto Platter

grouse — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:50:33 -0800

In 1897, the Indiana House of Representatives passed a bill mandating that the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle (pi) was 3.2. Now, 112 years later, their neighbors in the Illinois Senate have passed a resolution redefining Pluto as a planet, at least when it passes through the Illinois night sky. Of course, Pluto may not even travel through the Illinois night sky for some time.

"New Copernican Revolution"?

rainman84 — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:18:26 -0800

potentially habitable planets and vindication for Pluto? Yesterday in Boston scientists at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) discussed how the Kuiper Belt in which the dwarf planet Pluto (formerly known as the the planet Pluto) resides may have Earth- and Mars- sized planets. They also chatted about the prevalence of habitable planets in the universe.

Volcano on Io

Chinese Jet Pilot — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 09:21:18 -0800

Space volcano. The New Horizons space probe, en route to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, captures an amazing image of the Tvashtar volcano on Jupiter's moon Io.

You'll always be a planet to me.

eriko — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 06:01:12 -0800

Bad News: (pdf) In the continuing degredation of Pluto, the former planet has been assigned a number establishing it among the ranks of ~~bitty rocks~~ dwarf planets, so now we have the name of 134340 Pluto. In good news, 2003 UB₃₁₃ is now 136199 Eris. Commence hailing!

You can take our Pluto when you pry it from our cold, dead hands

starkeffect — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 17:19:22 -0800

Who will condemn the "mean-spirited" International Astronomical Union for their demotion of Pluto from the planetary roster, causing "psychological harm among some... who question their place in the universe and worry about the instability of universal constants"? The California State Assembly, that's who!

7 mph would be the equivalent of driving at the speed of light

jessamyn — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 07:23:22 -0800

At forty miles (64.4 km) from Pluto to Sun, the Maine Solar System Model is the largest complete three-dimensional scale model of the solar system in the world. What, you didn't know there was more than one? And yes, Pluto is staying put.

support democracy

thirteenkiller — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 05:24:00 -0800

SAVE PLUT O

Years of basic science textbooks down the drain...

twiggy — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 06:47:36 -0800

My very elegant mother just sat upon ninjas ... the textbooks, mnemonic devices and more will have to be changed today. Pluto has been demoted from its status as planet to a dwarf planet. We now have 8 in our solar system. The debate is not at all new, and its apparent resolution may not matter to our everyday lives, but it's just a little weird to think of all of the things that will have to be retroactively edited or amended as a result.

Enough speculation Pluto, time to see if you really are a planet.

Phantomx — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 02:53:22 -0800

The New Horizons spacecraft will be the first man-made object to visit our controversial sibling planet. An Atlas V will be used to launch the craft to the fastest speed that man has ever hurled an object to the heavens. Due to this and the small size of Pluto, the probe will only be capable of one flyby. Today is the first day in the launch window that the rocket is hoped to be launched.

brownpau — Mon, 07 Oct 2002 11:11:28 -0800

Most of us were expecting that astronomers would discover a tenth planet and name it Persephone. A mostly harmless author preferred Rupert. One clique of New Age doomsayers claims that it is "Nibiru," or "Planet X,", which will come in 2003 to wreak havoc and usher in a new era under (I kid you not) our new alien overlords. Well, hang it all. Planet #9.5 has been discovered, and they called it "Quaoar." And I think Pluto is pissed.

homunculus — Tue, 05 Feb 2002 20:32:33 -0800

NASA's 2003 budget cancels the Europa and Pluto missions. Instead it seeks to produce nuclear powered propulsion. I am sad about the Europa and Pluto missions, I was really looking forward to those, but I am intrigued by the prospect of nuclear propulsion in space.

holycola — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 05:48:44 -0800

It was now or not for 200 years, and it was starting to look like it wouldn't be for another 200 years with the initial exploration funding cutbacks by Bush & Co. But reason has prevailed in the house and senate, and a Pluto mission is back in the plan. I never did find out why Bush opposed this mission. Maybe he thought that $30 million was too extravagent for a trip to Disneyland.

monstro — Mon, 22 Jan 2001 21:07:41 -0800

Will the Pluto mission once again get cancelled? I mean, now that Pluto isn't a planet anymore; apparently, it's been downgraded to "big ball of ice." After all those years of service, of faithful rotation, that steadfast revolve, how can they just kick a planet out like that?! It's a travesty, I tell you -- a travesty!