Being a small planet ourselves, we take issue with the size queens over at The International Astronomical Union who have done a big ole flip flop and said Pluto was just a funky looking rock. Listen, Pluto has an atmosphere and moons, so what's an orbiting body gotta do to get a little respect around here?Now, instead of a planet, Pluto is a KBO, short for Kuiper Belt Object.
I don't give a flying air biscuit who Kuiper is or what color his belt (although I'm guessing it's white) the Dark Planet will not change it's name to A Dark KBO.
Ain't gonna happen.
Suck on that International Astronomical Union. Suck on that.
3 comments:
It's a dark, dark universe when the astronomical lessons of 76 years of elementary school education can be overturned because a committee doesn't think Pluto has big enough tires.
What will the children think?
One time in college, I got some bad vitamin-A and became a Kuiper Belt Object for about three days. Like Pluto, no one could see ME with their naked eye either (or so I thought). I wasn't all that bad. Had to take the rest of the simester off.
I agree with Elizabeth. I will forever be editing myself from spitting out "Pluto" when I recite from rote the names of the planets in order of position from the sun. Just when you think there is one thing - just ONE THING - you can count on...
Found this in the NYT Op-Ed page:
"I've long regarded Saturn's misty tantalizing moon Titan as the Homecoming Queen of the solar system, courted and fawned over, stringing us along with teasing glimpses under her atmosphere while Pluto was more like the chubby Goth chick who wrote weird poems about dead birds and never talked to anybody."
When I first started high school, those Goth chicks were the only ones who would talk to me. Keep the name, David. Keep the name!
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