[meteorite-list] 'Plutons' Push Planet Total Up To 12

[Larry Lebofsky]

Hi Chris:

Since your two posts on this subjsetc, I think some of the responders have 
gotten a little out of hand and think that they know more than everyone else.

1. This is the second committee to have dealt with the issue of determining a 
definition of a planet.

2. A lot of the discussion of the second committee was based heavily on what 
the first committee did.

3. A lot of effort was put into the formation of this committee to get a 
crosssection of the community from a variety of countries and included a 
premier science writer and an astronomy historian. To some of you listening, do 
you think that in the two or three milliseconds that you thought about what was 
proposed by this IAU committee that you are better qualified to come up with a 
solution?

4. Now that I have vented my splean, I will respond to your emails, Chris. 

5. Yes, the IAU does have the authority to make such decisions! They are the 
organization recognized by ALL astronomers as the organization who can do such 
things. They OK the names of asteroids and comets and are the organization who 
came up with the 88 constellations that we have today. 

6. Which brings me back to your second (I think) email. First a side note to 
Ed, I think (am losing track of the emails, I dumped enough on Sterling). 
Granted there are only 7 continents and 7 seas, should we limit ourselves to 9 
US states because that is all you can remember or 9 countries (I will not go 
there)? 

7. I have spent nearly two decades doing science education (3.5 doing science) 
and one of the most important things that we can teach are kids is that science 
is dynamic and that numbers change. When I grew up there were 32 moons in the 
Solar System and no extra solar planets (and no Kuiper Belt Objects). However, 
I have changes what I teach as we learn more. That is the true nature of 
science. If you were teaching in 1930 would you have left the Solar System with 
8 planets? or in the early 1700s, kept the Solar System at 6 planets? 
Traditionally, the Earth is the center of the universe, why not let well enough 
alone? Get a little off track, sorry.

8. A lot of effort and a lot of thought went into this decision both from a 
SCIENTIFIC (not technical) perspective and from an historical perspective. I 
know all of the people on the first committee and many of the people on the 
second one and I have respect for them and for their decision. While this is 
only a proposal to the IAU General Assembly and may change before next week 
(doubt there will be much of a change), I think that you are doing a disservice 
to your students by telling them that there are only nine planets (it is all 
over the news, how can they miss it).

Chris, if you want to continue this discussion offline, please feel free to 
contact me.

Larry


-- 
Dr. Larry A. Lebofsky
Senior Research Scientist
Co-editor, Meteorite                      "If you give a man a fish,   
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory               you feed him for a day.
1541 East University                       If you teach a man to fish,
University of Arizona                        you feed him for a lifetime."
Tucson, AZ 85721-0063                                     ~Chinese Proverb
Phone:  520-621-6947
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e-mail: lebofsky at lpl.arizona.edu