Backyard astronomers and astrologers alike are bound to welcome the announcement of three new planets in our solar system!
By next month our Solar System is expected to officially contain twelve planets, meaning astronomy texts and astrological charts will have to be republished. The new lineup in order from the sun will now be Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto/Charon and 2003 UB313 (nicknamed Xena).…
Article comments
126 - duane
Surely you can't be seer-rus about that pronunciation.
127 - Victor Plenty
Come to think of it, some variety in how we pronounce Ceres would probably do no harm, but I'd like to hear everyone correctly pronouncing the name of a certain other planet which we all ought to know as Oo-rahn-oos instead of Yer-ane-uss.
128 - duane
Jet: I've often wondered why we've never stationed a satelite in stationary orbit to watch the Earth go around the sun, possibly at the sun's north pole at say the distance of say 2-400 million miles.
It would fall down.
129 - Jet in Columbus
Yes duane you be your anus that how I pronounce it.
130 - Jet in Columbus
'scuse me that you bet your anus that how I pronounce it.
131 - Jet in Columbus
It's better than Walter Cronkite announcing that rings have been discovered around urine-us
132 - Jet in Columbus
Duane 128. you're telling me that at that distance a solar sail, or a minimal rocket motor couldn't keep it from falling back at that distance?
133 - duane
How do you pronounce Sirius? How about Cassiopeia?
I pronounce Uranus like this: You-ray'-nus, instead or Yer-a'-nus. Then it's not so bad. I will not say yer'-uh-nus. Nope.
134 - Jet in Columbus
We are in complete agreement duane. I've been taught since 2nd grade it's pronounced yur aye nus, it only changed when news reporters had to read NASA reports that would have made them say
"Today NASA probes have discovered rings around your anus!.
135 - Clavos
Serious. Cass, Yo Pee, Ahh.
136 - Jet in Columbus
STOP IT CLAVOS!!! damn it I'm trying to be Sirius here!
137 - Clavos
Sorry...(slinks away, giggling maniacally)
138 - PoizonMyst
Victor 120
As I already mentioned, Ive been doubting Pluto's status as a "Planet" for years ... and when asked "How many planets are there" I would often respond "Eight" along with a detailed explaination as to why. Personally, I believe in a downgrade of "Pluto" ... as such, I'm still not convinced that Ceres qualifies as a "planet" either.
I don't really agree that eccentricity of orbit should be a disqualifier either. Who knows what weird orbital patterns we may discover in the future ... say a planet in a figure eight orbit around a pair of binary stars for example. But for the sake of argument, within our own solar system, perhaps we do need to make a distinction between the big kahunas and the junk pile. However again, we have the possibility of an elusive "Planet X" hanging somewhere out between the Ort cloud and the termination shock of the heliosheath. It is suggested that it may be something the size of Jupiter, or larger, and it's orbit of Sol could be greatly affected as we pass other stars on our journey around the Milky Way. Would we have to say an object that large is not a planet simply because it's orbit doesnt fit the mould? We have to look at possibilities such as this arising in the future, if we are going to formulate a distinction in the present.
Jet 122
I agree further study would be helpful in this instance ... I am of the understanding that Ceres may have an atmosphere of sorts - so this could be another distinctive property to place it in planetary status.
Victor 120 and Jet 124
Ive been pronouncing it Se (as in "said") and Res (as in Rest) ... accents might be a problem here in coming up with an ultimate pronunciation tho. Victor, I like your interpretation of the pronunciation of Uranus ... of which we in Oz commonly call it U (as in the letter U) and Ranus (as in "anus") ... Ive also heard it pronounced Urine-us (erk!) - poor bloody planet. I will practice your suggestion for daily use ... it's certainly more pleasing.
139 - PoizonMyst
I say Casio (as in the calculator) Pea-a.
and Sirius ... much the same as "serious" ... with an "i" inflection (as in "Ski") rather than the "ee".
140 - Jet in Columbus
You say tomayto I say tomahto let call the whole thing off!
141 - Jet in Columbus
Poison Myst did you get a chance to look over the link I provided in 118?
142 - PoizonMyst
Yes, I did have a little look at it and it seems to suggest some semblance of a conspiracy in regards to Planet X. Certainly intriguing ... I would like to see some data regarding the results of their search when the Planet supposedly came into telescopic view.
There are also some interesting links at the bottom of the page that I might have to look into some time in the near future.
Seems there may be a number of Planet X theories getting around.
The Planet X theory I refer to is in regards to the abrubt end of the Kuiper Belt at 55AU (the Kuiper Cliff) and a Jupiter sized object past this region. But seeing as I read about this a few years ago, it appears that I may have melded two Planet X theories together. Anyway both are discussed at wiki ...
143 - Jet in Columbus
PoisonMyst-Thanks for the link I'll check it out.
Much appreciated-Jet
144 - Jim
On the website of Michael Brown at Caltech, the discoverer of "Xena" and several other objects that may qualify as planets under the new definition, he states that he is against the inclusion of every ice ball that may be round. In an interview posted on Astromart from an AP source here, he stated that "When I was a kid, planets were special. This definition takes the magic out of the solar system." This comes from a person who could personally add nearly 50 more discovered objects to the planetary count. Although I disagree with his belief that this "takes the magic out of the solar system", I do believe that this ruling goes too far in stretching the definition of a planet. This goes much further than I would be willing to accept or attempt to memorize.
-jim
145 - Jet in Columbus
Jim 144-Welcome to the fray. As I've said, what this does essentioally is put the basic planets we all know and love where they belong, and everything else goes in the "Junk drawer" calle a Pluton.
That gives us 8 planets.
Thanks for your comment
Jet
146 - PoizonMyst
Yeh but Ceres wouldnt fall into the Pluton junk drawer with the original proposal ... and as I've already expressed ... Im not to keen on adding Ceres to the general "Planet" list.
Update:
I'm much happier with the new proposal ... much more clarity and detail in the definition ... and a brave step to downgrade Pluto. Woohoo.
Revisited - Draft Resolution 5 for GA-XXVI: Definition of a Planet
and further considerations are also listed on Space (Im searching, but as yet I can't find this section on the IAU2006 website).
147 - Snarkattack
'Egads! Pluto's just been demoted!
Along with Ceres and UB313 it's now referred to as a dwarf planet, apparently unlike our regular planets.
Ah, the days when we were kids. Someone told you a planet and that was that. Now I discover there are all these guidelines a celestial body has to conform to in order to be considered a planet proper.
Quite exciting!
148 - Victor Plenty
I'm just glad we're getting a better grip on what our solar system really has in it, before we get a pack of interstellar lawyers stepping off their spaceships with documents stating their corporate employers own all the objects we haven't yet discovered, wherever they may be in their orbits around our sun.
149 - Jet in Columbus
Snark #147 it was almost inevitible really since UB313 is larger.
I was thinking a good name instead of Xena would be Eubie.
150 - Jet in Columbus
Better be careful Victor those lawyers sue Earthlings for having unregistered rings around Uranus!
151 - duane
Can't Eubie Sirius, Jet?
152 - Jet in Columbus
Helllllllllllll no!!!!! I've got enough to be depressed about already. I DEMAND that you let me smile...