this post was submitted on 26 Apr 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 79 points 6 months ago (7 children)

Pluto will always be a planet to me, and you'll pry that definition from my cold, dead hands!

[–] [email protected] 48 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Stay strong. A dwarf planet is a perfectly valid kind of planet, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 6 months ago (2 children)

It's not the size that counts but the ability to clear your orbit. ;)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Good question! I had forgotten about Jupiter's Trojans and Greek asteroids!

I went and checked the definiton of Clearing the Neighborhood by IAU, emphasis mine:

The phrase refers to an orbiting body (a planet or protoplanet) "sweeping out" its orbital region over time, by gravitationally interacting with smaller bodies nearby. Over many orbital cycles, a large body will tend to cause small bodies either to accrete with it, or to be disturbed to another orbit, or to be captured either as a satellite or into a resonant orbit. As a consequence it does not then share its orbital region with other bodies of significant size, except for its own satellites, or other bodies governed by its own gravitational influence. This latter restriction excludes objects whose orbits may cross but that will never collide with each other due to orbital resonance, such as Jupiter and its trojans, Earth and 3753 Cruithne, or Neptune and the plutinos.[3] As to the extent of orbit clearing required, Jean-Luc Margot emphasises "a planet can never completely clear its orbital zone, because gravitational and radiative forces continually perturb the orbits of asteroids and comets into planet-crossing orbits" and states that the IAU did not intend the impossible standard of impeccable orbit clearing.[2]

Trojans and Greeks orbit Jupiter's LaGrange points in a stable orbit and so they are governed by Jupiter's gravity. You could say they're really weird moons orbiting semi-stable points Jupiter creates.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

So since there are like 95 moons (as of last Feb) of jupiter, I'm calling out a dwarf planet

[–] [email protected] -4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

this condition makes "planetness" into a local condition. so theoretically, we can throw enough junk into space and stop anything we want from being a planet.

pluto just got unlucky in terms of the amount of trash it has in its way. its not fair :(

[–] [email protected] 23 points 6 months ago (1 children)

No, because if it's a proper planet it will clear its orbit.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

Bad astronomy and fake news below please ignore me.

~~also Pluto lovers should note that orbital dominance takes longer the farther out you are, due to the size of the orbit itself and the sheer amount of time it takes to make a trip around, limiting interactions with neighbors.~~

~~Pluto will eventually own it's orbit and whatever species has inherited the earth by then may decide to grant it full planet status again!~~

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

and whatever species has inherited the earth by then

Well, only if we move the Earth safely outwards of the huge Sun.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago

You made me curious about the timeframe and it turns out I had it completely wrong.

Pluto's lack of orbital dominance is a matter of size not time, it's already had the required time it's just too wee to get it done. Pluto will never be a full planet!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

By the time the Plutians invade they can have Earth

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Does it dig mines and sing upbeat work songs?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago

ROCK AND STONE…….. and orbits

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

I am a dwarf and I can't clear orbits, can't clear orbits, can't clear orbits

[–] [email protected] 36 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Arenyou gonna start calling Ceres, Haumea, Makemake, and Orcus planets?

We went through this 150 years ago ehen the asteroid belt was discovered. Every astronomer wanted credit for discovering a new planet, so at one point there were 15 before all the astronomers got together and said it was untenable.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 months ago

Yes. We could have had a planet Orcus and we were like "nah, we'll pass." That would have been metal as shit.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 6 months ago (3 children)

without orbital dominance?

amazon.com ass planet with fake reviews.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

So Neptune has a rogue rock in its orbit that also orbits the sun and we're just gonna give Neptune a pass on that one because we saw it first.

At best, this is size discrimination, and neptunotism, and we both know it!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago

Look, just be careful that you don’t confuse proplutoism with antineptunotism.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yeah but it's delivered with a nice hand written note from a single mom in China so I 5 star anyways.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Upvoted for funny doos ex name

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The central point that Pluto and Charon orbit about is also outside of Pluto. All other planets have the center point located within the planet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pluto-Charon_system-new.gif

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Then that makes it the solar system's first discovered Binary planets

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Hungry For Apples?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Whatever, Pluto is a dwarf planet like every other dwarf planet too.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

New Billy Joel song? I heard he's writing again.