The celestial fraud

National Post ^ | 2006-08-18 | (editorial page)

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Pluto's orbit is also exceptionally eccentric. It and Neptune are the only planets currently in gravitational resonance with one another. (If it was not in gravitational resonance, with Neptune they would have collided eons ago and we wouldn't even be having this conversation.)

Billions of years ago Jupiter and Saturn were in gravitational resonance, in fact Jupiter orbited further from the Sun than Saturn. Jupiter got pumped up with Saturn's angular momentum and tossed the old man into the further recesses of the solar system.

[Poincare]

Didn't these idiots check a dictionary to see if a pre-existing definition of "pluton" was in use? It turns out there is a good scientific meanng to "pluton", that of a large igneous rock mass deep within the Earth, often a rock mass that rises (slowly) to the surface such as that pink granite mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine which has a sign on it identifying it as a PLUTON. Or is their lofty science so above geology.......

[Poincare]

Ooops. Now having read the comments, I agree that "goofies" fits.

[Kirkwood]

"Didn't these idiots check a dictionary to see if a pre-existing definition of "pluton" was in use? "

Even scientific terms can have more than one definition.

[Verginius Rufus]

According to the World Almanac, Venus' sidereal day (relative to the stars) is 243.02 earth days long (it spins in retrograde direction). They note that "if it were exactly 243.16 days, Venus would present the same face toward Earth at every inferior conjuction."

I gather that the earth's gravitational pull has affected Venus' rotation--but why isn't it already 243.16 days? Just slow getting there?

[RightWhale]

Pluto was named for astronomer Percival Lowell in his honor since he had been looking for a planet right about there. He never actually saw Pluto. He did see canals on Mars and drew detailed maps of the intricate network, even though they weren't there to see. See?

[xp38]

I expect to see pro and anti Pluto factions forming and flame wars to rival the evo crevo threads soon. :)

[RightWhale]

It and Neptune are the only planets currently in gravitational resonance with one another

Not to mention earth and Cruithne and the other two quasi moons of earth. Even the tree-hugging Druids recognized that earth and Venus are in gravitational resonance with each other.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The orbital periods of the Earth and Venus are in an approximate 8:13 ratio, but not actually in resonance. I know about asteroids in resonance with Earth, but don't count them in planets.

[RightWhale]

It's a 40 year cycle, not necessarily related to a single period. The oak-hugging Druids don't like this number out in public, but nobody will see the significance anyway.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I gather that the earth's gravitational pull has affected Venus' rotation--but why isn't it already 243.16 days? Just slow getting there?

Some things are just coincidences; if you look hard enough, you'll find a few. I seriously doubt that the Earth has much effect, if any, on Venus' rotational period. Venus will be tidally locked to the Sun (as the Moon is to the Earth) long before it ever notices any effect from Earth.

One day, in about 5 billion years, the Earth will be tidally locked to the Moon, when the lunar month and Earth day will both be about 47 times the length of current Earth day. Currently Charon and Pluto are the only pair of bodies in the solar system known to be in mutual synchronous motion.

[B-Chan]

Thailand?

[RightWhale]

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=39841 is a request from ESA for assistance observing the de-orbit of SMART-1 on 3 Sep. The impact will be near the limb and the plume may reach sunlight and be seen with binoculars. The impact will not be seen from Europe.

[FreedomCalls]

Solution:

Eight "major planets": four rocky and four gaseous. Any number of smaller but still round "minor planets": some icy, some rocky. Any other natural object not round is an asteroid or a comet.

Problem solved. No new labels like "plutons" or anything.

[scrabblehack]

Oh really? Just like in the myth?

[FreedomCalls]

One day, in about 5 billion years, the Earth will be tidally locked to the Moon, when the lunar month and Earth day will both be about 47 times the length of current Earth day.

Is there some way that that is Bush's fault? Won't it affect global warming? Won't minorities and women be worse off? Do we need to start pre-emptive reparations? With a day that long, do we need to raise the minimum wage? Isn't the root cause of global slowing really due to globalization and Walmart shipping stuff from China?

/trying to get all the liberal talking points in ...

[Verginius Rufus]

Pluto seemed an appropriate name because it was the name of one of the major Greco-Roman gods (in the same league with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) and moreover the god of the underworld (which seemed appropriate). That the first two letters were the same as Percival Lowell's initials was another plus.

I think the initial reports tended to give Lowell all of the credit even though he had died in 1916. He was from a prominent family (his brother was President of Harvard University) and had been an eminent astronomer, whereas Clyde Tombaugh was just a farm boy from an obscure family. It was only later that Tombaugh received more credit for his achievement.

[Redcloak]

Sounds like the writer has his knickers in a cosmic twist.

[RJL]

Pluto as a planet sure has someone's panties in a wad.

[aruanan]

I think you failed to notice the tongue jammed firmly in cheek.

These days who can tell?