August 24, 2006

Poor Pluto Gets Demoted

Pluto had a good run. When it was discovered it was thought to be much bigger than it really is. It has a funky orbit that crosses with Neptune and it named after the god of the underworld--how cool is that? But little Pluto is too small and threw off astronomers' ideas about planets. So Pluto as planet had to go:

After a tumultuous week of clashing over the essence of the cosmos, the International Astronomical Union stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930. The new definition of what is -- and isn't -- a planet fills a centuries-old black hole for scientists who have labored since Copernicus without one.

"Pluto Gets the Boot"

"Pluto In The Dog House"

"And the Universe Weeps …"

"Planet no More"