[FreedomOfExpression]

Which set of goofballs decided Pluto wasn’t a planet?

Why Pluto is not considered a planet:
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33462184

Arguments that Pluto is a planet:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3298118/posts
http://www.space.com/29571-why-pluto-is-a-planet-and-eris-is-too.html

My thoughts are reflected in the excerpt of the above FR post: "Some planetary astronomers would argue that were the Earth placed in the Kuiper Belt, it would not be able to clear its neighborhood and thus would not be considered, by the IAU definition, a planet; apparently location matters. Here a planet, there not a planet..."
IMHO, the current IAU definition of a planet is a poor one.

[zeugma]

My thoughts are reflected in the excerpt of the above FR post: "Some planetary astronomers would argue that were the Earth placed in the Kuiper Belt, it would not be able to clear its neighborhood and thus would not be considered, by the IAU definition, a planet; apparently location matters. Here a planet, there not a planet..."

I agree. The "definition" is not precise enough. Personally, I believe Pluto is a planet. Don't really care what other folk think about it. I think the decision to call it a 'dwarf planet' was a bad one. Shoulda left well enough alone. Call Ceres a dwarf if you want.