Thu, Feb 18 2010

UNITED STATES 18 Feb 2010 Pluto discovered 80 years ago

Amateur-astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto 80 years ago at Lowell Observatory in Arizona. Pluto's demotion in 2006 from a planet to a plutoid upset space enthusiasts all over the world, and trimmed the tail off the mnemonic device for remembering the order of the planets from the Sun: "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas." Pluto Day 2010 will cue another burst of anger about the demotion, and will see NASA's New Horizon spacecraft a little closer to the "King of the Kuiper Belt."

His finding was confirmed by several other astronomers, and on 13 Mar 1930--the anniversary of Lowell's birth and of William Hershel's discovery of Uranus--the discovery of Pluto was publicly announced.

At 1553 miles in diameter, Pluto is smaller than seven moons in the solar system - including our own moon. The path to demotion started after the first Kuiper Belt icy objects were found in 1992, and it became apparent that the diminutive Pluto was closer in size, composition, and orbit to these icy comets than to either the terrestrial planets or Jovian gas giants. Then in 2006 the International Astronomical Union ruled that Pluto is a dwarf planet and coined "plutoid" to describe this distinctive class of Trans-Neptunian Objects. The IAU has been responsible for the naming and nomenclature of planetary bodies and their satellites since the early 1900s. The Kuiper Belt lies beyond Neptune, consists of perhaps tens of thousands of icy objects spread out between 30 and 50 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun.

Opponents of the demotion point out that only four per cent of the IAU voted on the controversial demotion, and most are not planetary scientists. Their decision was immediately opposed
in a formal petition by hundreds of professional astronomers led by
Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto. The petition notes that one reason the IAU definition makes no sense is it says dwarf planets are not planets at all, which is inconsistent with the use of the term “dwarf” in astronomy, where dwarf stars are still stars, and dwarf galaxies are still galaxies. The petition argues that the IAU definition classifies objects solely by where they are while ignoring what they are. If Earth were in Pluto’s orbit, according to the IAU definition, it would not be a planet either, and a definition that takes the same object and makes it a planet in one location and not a planet in another is essentially useless.

New Horizons is due to reach the region in 2015, and to map the surface of Pluto and its moon, Charon. Scientists believe they can learn about the evolution of the Solar System by studying the Kuiper Belt since it possesses debris left over from its formation.

Then 24, and with no formal training in astronomy, Tombaugh found Pluto while searching for an elusive planet – planet X – that astronomer Percival Lowell had believed (incorrectly) to be responsible for perturbing the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. Tombaugh died in 1997.

In February New Mexico State University established the Clyde and Patricia Tombaugh Endowed Chair in honor of Tombaugh's accomplishments and contributions in astronomy. UPDATED Jan/10

World news before it happens Foresight and insight for professionals who bank on the future

UNITED STATES 18 Feb 2010 Pluto discovered 80 years ago

Pluto discovered 80 years ago

Pluto discovered 80 years ago

World news before it happens
Foresight and insight
for professionals who bank on the future