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Usually when newspaper columnists feel moved to write about space or astronomy the results are trite, annoying or just plain silly. But I do like this take on the is-Sedna-a-planet question.
Now the question of whether Sedna is a planet, planetoid or health-insurance company resurrects this entirely unprovoked attack on Pluto. The criteria that would relegate Sedna to "oid" status are pretty much shared by Pluto, who joined the planets 73 years ago under some sort of size-and-distance-challenged affirmative-action admissions policy. If astronomers rule Sedna a planetoid, they may have to call Pluto a planetoid and kick it out once and for all.
The thing is, everybody loves Pluto, with its cartoon doggy name, its little-guy status, the last one picked for the team. At one time or another, everyone has been a Pluto. Despite its being slipped in the solar system with shaky qualifications, everyone agrees Pluto has risen to the occasion and done a bang-up job going round and round the sun and leaving us alone.
On a slightly more serious note, I rather think Oliver Morton has hit the nail on the head with his theory that the main reason that the American astronomical community is so set against demoting Pluto from planet status is that it remains the only planet so far discovered by an American...
MC
Now the question of whether Sedna is a planet, planetoid or health-insurance company resurrects this entirely unprovoked attack on Pluto. The criteria that would relegate Sedna to "oid" status are pretty much shared by Pluto, who joined the planets 73 years ago under some sort of size-and-distance-challenged affirmative-action admissions policy. If astronomers rule Sedna a planetoid, they may have to call Pluto a planetoid and kick it out once and for all.
The thing is, everybody loves Pluto, with its cartoon doggy name, its little-guy status, the last one picked for the team. At one time or another, everyone has been a Pluto. Despite its being slipped in the solar system with shaky qualifications, everyone agrees Pluto has risen to the occasion and done a bang-up job going round and round the sun and leaving us alone.
On a slightly more serious note, I rather think Oliver Morton has hit the nail on the head with his theory that the main reason that the American astronomical community is so set against demoting Pluto from planet status is that it remains the only planet so far discovered by an American...
MC
