Status of Pluto
The Executive Board of the Alachua Astronomy Clu, Inc. voted (Sept. 5, 2006)
to keep Pluto's status as a classical planet in the Gainesville Solar Walk
The Gainesville Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs asked the Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. (AAC) to write a position letter to the Gainesville Sun affirming the permanent status of the Pluto monument in the Gainesville Solar Walk. (The Solar Walk is a cooperative effort of the AAC, the City of Gainesville and artist Elizabeth Indianos.)
The Executive Board of the AAC approved such a letter at its 2006 September 5 meeting. However, the Board stipulated the letter should make clear that the status of the Pluto monument was the official judgement of the AAC and not that of any other person or organization. (The AAC, for example, cannot officially speak for the City.)
Unfortunately, the editors of the Gainesville Sun modified the published letter so that the official position of the AAC is not clear. Instead, it appears that the status of the Pluto monument stated in the letter may only be the opinion of the author, which defeats the original and main purpose of the letter.
The published letter states, "Let me set the record straight: Pluto is here to stay and any future modifications of the Solar Walk should be additions or improvements."
The original sentence stated, "Let me set the record straight: 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."
Therefore, the Gainesville Sun omitted the emphasized words (including a less important lead sentence) making it unclear that this is the official position of the AAC and not just the author. Consequently, the Gainesville Sun defeated the primary purpose of the letter and the request of the City's Department of Cultural Affairs.
The following was the intended statement by the Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc.
Pluto Won't Go Away
Recently the International Astronomical Union (IAU) issued a definition of a planet that "demoted" Pluto to "dwarf planet" status. People have asked if Pluto's new standing will affect the "Gainesville Solar Walk," a public art and science project built and funded by the Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. (AAC), Gainesville and artist Elizabeth Indianos. The planetary monuments in this scale model extend 0.9 miles along N.W. 8th Avenue east of N.W. 34th Street and include the Sun and all nine classical planets.
Although a recent Gainesville Sun article (Aug. 26, 2006) inferred Pluto "won't be leaving" the Solar Walk, quips and comments about modifying the model have not abated. Let me set the record straight: 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.
Trying to define this group of objects attempts to find meanings that relate more to culture than science. In fact, the IAU first drafted a definition that included Pluto and increased the number of planets to twelve. Afterwards the IAU reversed its stance and adopted a resolution that excluded Pluto reducing the number of planets to eight. Their final resolution raises questions astronomers will debate for years. For more details, see floridastars.org.
In addition, Pluto is physically no different now than when first discovered seventy-six years ago. Astronomers have long recognized this icy world belongs to a third category of "planets" different from both the Earth and Jupiter classes. The intent of classification is to help give insight into the origin, evolution, structure and properties of objects. "Demoting" Pluto does not necessarily help our understanding of the solar system.
Finally, the Pluto monument should continue to stand as a significant and triumphant discovery in the history of astronomy that helped open new vistas in space.
Howard L. Cohen
AAC Vice President
September 7, 2006