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Demotion of pluto
Demotion of pluto
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The controversy of Pluto can be observed from two different perspectives, the scientific way and from the eyes
of the public audience. Towards scientists despite that the solar system is exactly the same as it was in 2006, the
demotion of Pluto resulted into a less vague definition of the word "Planet" and lead to a step forward in the life of
science and technology. Although Pluto has many characteristics that make up a planet, it did not meet the
requirements of the new definition of the word "Planet" that was proposed by the IAU. Those characteristics were, it
orbits around the sun, has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium and has cleared the neighbourhood
around its orbit. However, the demotion of Pluto caused a lot of arguments and debates between Astronomers.
Astronomers in favour of that decision thought it was a revolution of science and the way it should be approached.
It wasn't until 2005 when Mike Brown discovered the "Kuiper Belt" which was said to be bigger than Pluto and
the doubts about Pluto being considered as a planet raised. Regardless of the amount of astronomers who agreed
about the demotion, a percentage of those scientists thought that word "Planet" is too vague. Still, having
subcategories such as "Gas Giants", "Terrestrial Planets (Pluto being one of them)" and "Asteroids". They also
thought that Pluto belonged there (Dwarf Planets) and it would more interesting to study it in that way. For instance,
some scientists though that this was a chance to teach kids that this is the nature of science. Things are always
changing so does our thoughts of how the solar system works.
On the other hand, many more astronomers disagreed on this situation which lead to a couple of
protests be...
... middle of paper ...
... try to analyse how good
they covered the topic, you'll find that the topic was ignored unless it involved the public in it. Compared to
Space.com which always had topics related to Pluto and recently in 2012, they released a new article about a new
moon orbiting Pluto. I guess the message that has been given to the public had a key role on the broader view of
science in people's eyes. It gave kids, the new generation of this new world the chance to explore new things and
discover new things to understand the truth behind this solar system. Also giving them the authority to modify the
past if it was wrong as long as it would make people more aware of the truth and improve their knowledge and lives.
It also clarifies any doubts about science not having its own authority and that its allowed to do whatever they want
unless it improves the life style of people.
This includes the introduction of the heliocentric model and the debate about pluto being a planet, that ended up changing view points on many topics.
When Copernicus discovered the earth revolved around the sun it changed science and human perception forever. Earth had been believed to be the center of the universe for 12 centuries. This idea was profound and not accepted well at first. Copernicus was ridiculed and scorned for his novel ideas at the time, but, eventually he was vindicated with his published work De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelesium. When Copernicus finally received recognition with a published manuscript of his revolutionary work he was seventy years old, most likely on his death bed, and it was 1543. Other scientists and explorers of the time weren’t so lucky. Scientists of his day that eluded to the idea that the universe and its inhabitants might have a scientific origin and not a necessarily religious one were at risk of being tortured or executed. One courageous soul who risked life and limb in the name of science was Andreas Vesalius who, like Copernicus, turned the scientific world on its head with his work De Humanis Corporis Fabrica.
Space, an entire universe of planets, stars, and galaxies have sat out on earths horizon since the beginning of time. Every day we further our progress into this massive dark abyss, and consequently by furthering our technological reach we also take that next big step. We extend the range of the human race. With great power must come great responsibility, that is why The National Aeronautics and Space Administration more commonly known as NASA has officially created and filled their latest position, Planetary Protection Officer.
Although Pluto was discovered in 1930, limited information on the distant planet delayed a realistic understanding of its characteristics. Today Pluto remains the only planet that has not been visited by a spacecraft, yet an increasing amount of information is unfolding about this peculiar planet. The uniqueness of Pluto's orbit, rotational relationship with its satellite, spin axis, and light variations all give the planet a certain appeal.
Copernicus was a scientist and philosopher whose theory proposed that the sun was stationary, and the heavens orbit around the sun. Galileo tried to convince the Church not to abolish the Copernican theory but was told that he was not to entertain such thoughts with others.... ... middle of paper ... ...(n.d.).
Everyone knows of the planet Pluto, it was the only American discovered planet, Mickey Mouse’s dog’s name; it is the most popular planet in America. But the man who was in charge of the research to declare Pluto out of the planet category is Neil deGrasse Tyson. Tyson has gained a lot of publicity from this, his other tv shows, radio shows and social media; leading to high pop culture status as a scientist. Neil deGrasse Tyson has positively influenced the world through this books, scientific findings and being a highly respected scientist. He also has a pop culture presence through his tweets and tv shows, where his main goal is not to entertain, but to educate and enlighten people about astrophysics.
In 1930, Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto making it the ninth planet in the solar system. However, in 2006 the International Astronomical Union decided to change the definition of a planet because there were other planets that resembled Pluto. This decision was made at a meeting in the Czech Republic. A planet now must be round, orbit the sun, and as they travel, its gravity clears the solar system paths of waste floating around. Since Pluto is not able to clear the solar system of waste because of its small size, it would not be considered a planet. Because of the change in definition, experts would still argue on whether Pluto should still be considered a planet. There were many different variations of the definition for planet which could resulting in having twelve planets including Eres and Ceres. Another definition would be leaving it to its original definition of having nine planets. The last variation would make the solar system only contain eight planets. This disagreement about whether Pluto being a planet or not can be associated with language as a way of knowing. Because of the change in language, there is disagreement about whether the new definition of a planet should be
Pluto was discovered in 1930 by an astronomer from the United States. Pluto used to be known as the ninth planet from the sun, but today it is known as a dwarf planet. A dwarf planet still orbits the sun but is smaller than other planets. The reason we don’t classify it as a regular planet is because it cannot clear objects that are in its orbital path. This means that if there are rocks or debris it will just run into it instead of destroying it.
Since the beginning of human fascination with outer space, the question “Is there life on other planets?” has existed and has waited to be answered. Early astronomers looking to find life on other planets were brutally punished by the Catholic Church. For years, people saw these astronomers as heretics for going against the church and undesirable, but today there might be evidence that supports these astronomers. Today, we find that people are still split between believing in alien life or not. People devoted to a religion tend to disagree with the possibility of life anywhere but Earth as it goes against their beliefs. However, with the increase of realistic movies about aliens and very convincing theories, many young people are beginning to believe that life on other planets does not seem so radical after all. Each day, scientists find more and more predictive evidence that leads most of them to believe that there is life on other planets.
This is the Scholarly Journal Archive. 2. Letters Planet Pluto Gerard P. Kuiper Science, New Series, Vol. 124, No. 2 -. 3216. The. Aug. 17, 1956, p. 322.
This project for Earth Science proved to be quite engaging. At first, I thought that the project was going to be long and arduous, however, being able to choose my topic for the project actually helped in galvanizing interest in it. Through this project, I learned a whole lot about the Jovian planets that fascinated me when I was a child. From gargantuan Jupiter, ringed Saturn, peculiar Uranus, and stormy Neptune, I learned many facts that I couldn’t discover outside of Earth Science. I learned many facts like how the Jovian planets got their colors, and whether or not Gas Giants are solely made of gas. I enjoy the fact that we are able to choose what we want to research about, choosing what interests us the most. Thanks to this project, I feel that I know just a bit more about the vast amount of knowledge of our Universe.
'A discovery so unexpected could only have singular circumstances, for it was not due to an astronomer and the marvelous telescope…was not the work of an optician; it is Mr. Herschel, a [German] musician, to whom we owe the knowledge of this seventh principal planet.' (Hunt, 35)
Pluto is located 7.5 billion kilometers from Earth and is only over 2,000 km in diameter. Pluto has been labeled both a planet and a dwarf planet over the years. As said by USA Today, “a planet is a celestial body that: is in orbit around the sun, is round or nearly round, and has "cleared the neighborhood" around its orbit, meaning it is not surrounded by objects of similar size and characteristics.” Pluto only follows two of the three rules of a planet. Pluto crosses over Neptune’s orbit and is near other dwarf planets like it. Even though it breaks one rule it was officially named a dwarf planet in “August 2006”, as stated by the Library of Congress. After this event Pluto still only has one correct classification. Pluto is a planet because
Throughout history the definition of planet has changed greatly. The Greeks defined a planet as an object that was a “wanderer” in the sky. This was to say that a planet was an object that changes position relative to the background stars.[3] This included the 5 planets visible to the human eye (Earth was not considered a planet) and sometimes included the Sun and Moon. The definition of planet was changed and reworked until 2006, when the current official definition was created. This definition is as follows: “A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood
Much to the dismay of the Church, two astronomers Galileo and Kepler had the audacity to challenge the authorities by suggesting that the sun-not the earth-was at the center of the universe. The church had a stronghold on the way the spiritual and physical world worked, so these discoveries only added to the Church’s resistance to their aims. Their discoveries came only after Kepler and Galileo began to question ancient theories about how the world functioned. These ancient truths were widely held but were inconsistent with the new observations that they had made. Kepler had discovered the laws of planetary motion which suggested that the planet would move in elliptical orbits, while Galileo followed with his discovery of the principle of inertia. Galileo concluded his finding b...