Yesterday, a coalition of leading astronomers declared that Pluto is no longer a planet. According to the International Astronomical Union, Pluto falls short of inclusion under newly ratified guidelines:
RESOLUTION 5A
The IAU therefore resolves that planets and other bodies in our Solar System be defined into three distinct categories in the following way:
(1) A planet1 is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.
(2) A dwarf planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape2, (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.
(3) All other objects3 orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar System Bodies".
Pluto, by virtue of its orbital relationship with Nepture, falls short and will now be part of a new group of "dwarf planets" (see above) which also includes Ceres and Xena (note: Charon didn't make the final cut).
As interesting and scientifically well-founded this argument may be, it's murder on parents of young children (myself included). In our busy lives there are certain things you just KNOW. When your son or daughter comes to you and asks, "What's 2+2?" or "Why is the sky blue?" you simply rattle off the answer without regard for the potential change in scientific interpretation.
Now, how many parents are going to teach their children about the "nine planets" only to have their eager progeny come home from preschool with a dejected look on their face as they proudly displayed their knowledge of the solar system only to be corrected for their "mistake" by the teach.
This got me thinking about some of the other "truths" parents my age may be wrongfully passing onto our children...
- There aren't "four food groups"...it's a food "pyramid"
- There was no such thing as a "brontosaurus"...it's an "apatosaurus"
- There aren't just 108 elements...we've now found 116
- There aren't just four oceans...there are five
I would love here your examples of where the things we learned as kids are no longer considered factual...what's next? We won't live in fear of communism?
in a piece on NPR as I commuted yesterday, one listener had written in, saying that he was happy about this because he could never resolve the fact that Holtz' The Planets had left out Pluto, so Holtz knew all along.
Posted by: Ramana Rao | August 25, 2006 at 07:50 PM
Wait, there's a fifth ocean now? I seriously didn't know about that until I followed the link here in your post. I guess I shouldn't plan on homeschooling my kids...!
Posted by: RisingSunofNihon | August 25, 2006 at 06:57 PM
Hm.. Quiz: What's in common between anstronomers and wikipedians? :-)
Posted by: Zoli Erdos | August 25, 2006 at 02:44 PM