Welcome to Plutoids

Its a good thing Uranus wasn't the 9th planet ! :shock: :lol:

I guess the name of a thing really is improtant.
Ala the Simpsons:

Lisa: A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Bart: Not if you called 'em stenchblossoms.
Homer: Or crapweeds.
Marge: I'd sure hate to get a dozen crapweeds for Valentine's Day. I'd rather have candy.
Homer: Not if they were called scumdrops.

Plutoid shmutoid
it's all the one.

The whole purpose of classification is to provide new insights...new science.

This is how the Swede Linnaeus revolutionised the entire science of Biology.

( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaean_taxonomy )

I can't see this happening here.

Has anybody learned anything truly "new" from all this planet re-naming musical chairs?

I doubt it.

Hi,

I think Alan Stern sums it up when he said "...Plutoids or haemorrhoids, whatever they call it. This is irrelevant."

However, I will still enjoy spotting Pluto,

John

The late great thinker Stephen J. Gould said:

""Taxonomy (the science of classification) is often undervalued as a glorified form of filing—with each species in its prescribed place in an album; but taxonomy is a fundamental and dynamic science, dedicated to exploring the causes of relationships and similarities among organisms. Classifications are theories about the basis of natural order, not dull catalogues compiled only to avoid chaos." Stephen Jay Gould (1990)

Gould's criterion, "it's about natural order stupid", is not met in the case of Plutoids in my opinion.

( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Jay_Gould )

The late great thinker Stephen J. Gould said:

""Taxonomy (the science of classification) is often undervalued as a glorified form of filing—with each species in its prescribed place in an album; but taxonomy is a fundamental and dynamic science, dedicated to exploring the causes of relationships and similarities among organisms. Classifications are theories about the basis of natural order, not dull catalogues compiled only to avoid chaos." Stephen Jay Gould (1990)

Gould's criterion, "it's about natural order stupid", is not met in the case of Plutoids in my opinion.

( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Jay_Gould )

Not with Plutoids. They are a consolation prize for people who are all emotional about Pluto. That's all they are. His quote does sum up the 8-planet solar system very well though.

Bart.