4 Alachua Astronomy Club: Pluto Controversy

	Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc.	Member Astronomical League	Member International Dark-Sky Association
	Solar Walk	Member Astronomical League	Member International Dark-Sky Association
	29°39' N, 82°21' W Altitude: 50 Meters (more or less)		Updated Aug. 22, 2008
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The Pluto Controversy

– See Latest in Controversy Below –

A Note About Pluto

"It is the AAC's judgement that Pluto is here to stay and
any future modifications of the Solar Walk should be additions or improvements."
(Approved by the AAC Board, 2006 Sept. 5.)

To Be
or Not
to Be?

What am I?
(Does it Matter?)

The resolution* of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to redefine Pluto as a "dwarf planet" does not impact the Gainesville Solar Walk. Pluto is and will always be a planet from an historical and classical point of view. The definition of a planet, in fact, has more to do with cultural bias rather than science.

"As far as I'm concerned I don't see any reason to change the Solar Walk. When we put up it up, Pluto was still a planet and as far as I know Pluto's still where it was before."
Bill Helms, AAC President (Aug. 2006)

Click to Enlarge
(Cred. S. McCartney)

THE STATUS OF PLUTO – A COMMENT

See Additional Viewpoints

• "AAC Position on Pluto's Status" Letter to Editor of Gainesville Sun attestingt to status of Pluto Monument

• "Pluto: To Be or Not to Be a Planet" by Dr. Howard L. Cohen, AAC Vice President (2006)

• "Much Ado about Pluto" by Dr. Tony Phillips & Amelia Phillips
(Dr. Phillips, a former UF grad., is production editor for Science@NASA)

• "Pluto Petition" Have an opinion about Pluto? Sign the Pluto Petition

• "Fight for Pluto Rages On" By Editors of Sky & Telescope (growing group of scientists makes first formal attack against IAU defintion)

• "Petition Protesting the IAU Planet Definition" Over 300 planetary scientists & astronomers don't all agree on IAU's definition of a planet — nor will all use it

• "California Legislative Bill" Condemns IAU Resolution: Introd. by Assembly Member Dr. Keith Richmond (R-Northridge); cosigned by 53 members!

• "New Mexico House Joint Memorial" Joint memorial declaring pluto a planet & declaring March 13, 2007, "Pluto Planet Day" at the legislature

• "Pluto and the Changing Landscape of Our Solar System" IAU information about Pluto and the other dwarf planets

• "Goodbye, Pluto. Hello, "Dwarf Planets"!" by by Govert Schilling

• "IAU Snobbery" from NASA Watch

• "Dwarf Planets Are Planets Too: Get Involved!" by Planetary Scientist Alan Stern

• "IAU Snobbery" from NASA Watch

*Pluto's Official Minor Planet No. In going along with their 2006 Aug. 24 resolution that Pluto (IAU Circular 255, 1930 Mar. 14) is a "dwarf planet," the IAU has now given Pluto an "official" minor planet number — #134340 (IAU Circular 8747, 2006 Sept. 13).

The "dwarf planets" now also include Ceres (#1), the first asteroid discovered, and 2003 UB₃₁₃ (formerly Xena), now officially Eris, "goddess of discord" (#136199). Eris's satellite, formerly Gabrielle, is now officially Dysnomia ("goddess of lawlessness").

Both Pluto and Eris (icy, rock bodies) reside in the outer Solar System region beyond Neptune (about 30 AU to 50 AU from the Sun) called the "Kuiper Belt" whereas Ceres (a rocky "asteroid") orbits in the "asteroid belt" between Mars and Jupiter. Therefore, the IAU designation "dwarf planet" unfortunately categorizes different types of solar system bodies in the same class of objects. Consequently, it will be necessary to distinguish different types of "dwarf planets."
LATEST IN CONTROVERSY

News Release - IAU0804 (June 11, 2008): Plutoid chosen as name for Solar System objects like Pluto. The International Astronomical Union has decided on the term "plutoid" as a name for dwarf planets like Pluto at a meeting of its Executive Committee in Oslo. More here, here, here, and here.

The Great Planet Debate: Science as Process
(A Scientific Conference and Educator Workshop — August 14-16, 2008)

Petition Protesting the IAU Planet Definition
("We, as planetary scientists and astronomers, do not agree with the IAU's definition of a planet, nor will we use it. A better definition is needed.")

Dwarf Planets Are Planets Too: Get Involved!
(Alan Stern, Sky & Telescope, June 23, 2008)

The Great Planet Debate: Sky & Telescope
(Kelly Beatty, News Blog, Sky & Telescope, August 14, 2008)

The Great Pluto Debate Continues
(Emily Baldwin, Astronomy Now, August 13, 2008)

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