http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/02/tech/innov...index.html

jesus science. get your s--- together.

All of this debate will be settled this summer.

The fist ever human probe will do a flyby of Pluto in July or so and take probably a million high def 3-D type pics and take countless measurements and detailed mapping of the surface.

We will soon be the first humans to ever see the surface of Pluto.

(10-06-2014 10:32 PM)ericsrevenge76 Wrote:  All of this debate will be settled this summer.

The fist ever human probe will do a fly of Pluto in July or so and take probably a million high def 3-D type pics and take countless measurements and detailed mapping of the surface.

We will soon be the first humans to ever see the surface of Pluto.

That's just f@cking cool.

People have seen Pluto for decades now:

Yeah, it's for a dumb reason. The reason is "But we always Called it a planet for so long! It takes away from the history!" -- even though there's other dwarf planets bigger than Pluto. Essentially, it's for Unscientific reasons, but just for recognition of planetary discovery in the past.

The only worthwhile credit would be that the term "planet" vs "dwarf planet" is somewhat ambiguous. BUT, if you are going to call Pluto a planet to fit definitions, you ALSO have to call Eris, the 9th biggest body directly orbiting the sun in the solar system, one too (it's bigger than Pluto).

Quote:... International Astronomical Union (IAU) defines a dwarf planet as a celestial body in direct orbit of the Sun[1] that is massive enough for its shape to be controlled by gravity, but that unlike a planet has not cleared its orbit of other objects.

(10-07-2014 01:36 AM)toddjnsn Wrote:  Yeah, it's for a dumb reason. The reason is "But we always Called it a planet for so long! It takes away from the history!" -- even though there's other dwarf planets bigger than Pluto. Essentially, it's for Unscientific reasons, but just for recognition of planetary discovery in the past.

The only worthwhile credit would be that the term "planet" vs "dwarf planet" is somewhat ambiguous. BUT, if you are going to call Pluto a planet to fit definitions, you ALSO have to call Eris, the 9th biggest body directly orbiting the sun in the solar system, one too (it's bigger than Pluto).

Quote:... International Astronomical Union (IAU) defines a dwarf planet as a celestial body in direct orbit of the Sun[1] that is massive enough for its shape to be controlled by gravity, but that unlike a planet has not cleared its orbit of other objects.

I would rather them be called planets if thats what they are. Just being icy and small seems like a really bigoted reason to keep them out.

We'll have a lot better picture of what these really are this summer.

Pluto may not really be a planet at all and just an asteroid or rouge moon. Or its may just be a small, icy planet.

I can't wait to see what we find.

But, I thought the science was settled....

They don’t count Pluto because it dropped out of the work force.
Which completely eschews the real gas giant number.

Consensus science.

But what's really funny is the joke going around that this will undo ND Tyson's only accomplishment.

(10-06-2014 10:27 PM)john01992 Wrote:  jesus science. get your s--- together.

Science is your God

(10-07-2014 07:59 AM)DrTorch Wrote:  Consensus science.

But what's really funny is the joke going around that this will undo ND Tyson's only accomplishment.

Yep

He lobbied hard recently to have Pluto reclassified. Seems like he would have taken a more responsible approach and waited until the summer of 2015.

Why risk your professional rep on something you are just guessing at today?

Particularly when you KNOW you are about to get your first ever look at the place.

For those wanting to follow the Pluto probe, it's at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhor...DRBbue9KSM

A few weeks who they woke the probe up and tested out the equipment. It's back in hibernation mode until December, when they will wake it up and keep it awake for the duration of the flyby. They are pretty excited about the camera resolution, which was able to take a long distance picture of Pluto and detect one of its moons, something they did not believe the equipment could do at the current distance.