tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35660018.post5696633681681675203..comments2023-05-01T04:24:22.924-04:00Comments on Me and My Boys: It's better than Oz!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35660018.post-18131812943416947522008-08-25T23:05:00.000-04:002008-08-25T23:05:00.000-04:00I love your story! I wish you had come to the Grea...I love your story! I wish you had come to the Great Planet Debate in Laurel, MD, earlier this month! There were astronomers, teachers, writers, planetarium directors, members of the general public, etc. there, and we had three wonderful days of discussions on this issue. I believe people like you and me should have a voice in these discussions, and this conference gave us just that. The IAU has been doing the exact opposite, not only ignoring public sentiment but also excluding its own members who could not be in a particular room on a particular day and other planetary scientists who are not IAU members. That is in addition to ignoring the recommendations of their own committee and violating their own bylaws at the General Assembly by putting forward a definition that had not been vetted by a committee, as its procedure requires.<BR/><BR/>My friends push my planetary buttons too, but it's all in fun. And I genuinely believe Pluto will not "be forever cast out of planetdom." There are too many people, including planetary scientists, who object to this demotion and refuse to use it. When New Horizons gets to Pluto in 2015, Pluto's planetary status will likely be confirmed once and for all. And there may just be a new set of "powers that be" led by some of the organizers of the Great Planet Debate! It's not over!Laurel Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02387883186244337619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35660018.post-79311217024042281952008-08-24T16:09:00.000-04:002008-08-24T16:09:00.000-04:00For the record, I both applaud the ‘debate’ as a t...For the record, I both applaud the ‘debate’ as a teachable moment of the Nature of Science and shudder at the mere idea that Pluto will be forever cast out of planetdom.<BR/><BR/>Pluto will always be a planet to me. Regardless of what the ‘powers-that-be’ declare.<BR/><BR/>As a bit of personal history, I took a planetary geology class many years back. The instructor divvied up the planets and other notable solar system objects and assigned a 45 minute presentation on each one. A few, Mars in particular, were team presentations. Most of the rest were solo projects. <BR/><BR/>The students drew numbers out of a hat. I ended up with one of the last numbers and when my choice came, Pluto was one of the few remaining. I was thrilled that no one had chosen the "poor little thing" and snapped it up without hesitation.<BR/><BR/>Now, this was in 2003. We know very little about Pluto in 2008 and knew a lot less in 2003. Nix and Hydra hadn't even been found yet. How was I supposed to fill up 45 minutes on the little we knew about Pluto?<BR/><BR/>I loved it. I invited the entire department, faculty especially, to my class presentation. In the end, I had most of the audience holding various sized circles representing the other planets, figuring out which they held, putting themselves in the correct order from the sun, and then going out into the hallway to place themselves at their estimated distance from the sun (with a changed scale, obviously - the sun was a yellow push-pin stuck into the floor). The piece de resistance? The person holding Pluto (and being very careful not to drop the 1/4 inch circle) ended up down the flight of stairs. <BR/><BR/>"Why," she asked, "am I down the stairs?" The rest thought I'd mismeasured. "Because Pluto is not on the ecliptic plane," I replied. I tried not to giggle, but it really was amusing seeing my department head standing in the middle of the hallway, holding my Solar System Measuring Device (toilet paper) in one hand, huge Jupiter representation in the other, enjoying herself immensely.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I had a blast. I established myself as the presentation to beat. No one else even came close. And since that day, I've been an ardent supporter in the "Pluto will always be a planet to me" club. Just ask my friends and classmates. They know how to push my planetary buttons.Blog ownerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14007595050447475566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35660018.post-41479723745536422342008-08-24T13:02:00.000-04:002008-08-24T13:02:00.000-04:00Great post, very informative. Pluto is still a pl...Great post, very informative. Pluto is still a planet in spite of a vote of four percent of the IAU. Read more about the pro-Pluto view on my blog at http://laurele.livejournal.comLaurel Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02387883186244337619noreply@blogger.com