Poor Pluto

So, what's up with Pluto? More to the point, what's up with modern astronomers. Don't they have anything better to do than sit around re-writing the rules governing celestial objects? Well..In all fairness, I suppose that is their job, but it is still just wierd that the last planet in the solar system that I grew up in, is no longer a planet. All those school books are now going to have to be edited. I think the Royal Astronomical Societ should have to put up the cash for that change, but as usual, with the stroke of a pen, or key as it were, the taxpayer gets to buy the latest ideas. What about the Science, National Geographic and Discovery channels and magazines. All those incorrect back issues, shows, tapes and DVDs and possible retractions and lawsuits. My, my. Oh well..enough of the political and finacial ramifications of the decision.

I am an amateur astronomer and have been for many years. I own a very nice 8" Schmidt-Cassegranian telescope with all the bells and whistles. I have never pointed it at Pluto that I am aware of. A friend once showed me on his 14" Newtonian reflector, a very faint and distant pinpoint of light indiscernable from the stars around it and told me it was Pluto. I still don't know if I believe it really was. Maybe he was just trying to show off his skill. Pluto is not visible to the naked eye from Earth. Maybe THAT should be the criteria for planethood in the future!

What about things Plutonian? Will Pluto now be a lesser Disney character? Will he become one of the Dwarfs? If they can change the number of planets at will, why not the number of dwarfs? What about Plutonium? Pretty powerful stuff. Should it now be considered a dwarf element? Will it still be as deadly or will it just make you feel nauseated and feverish, then pass like a cold?

Man..Eight panets. I wonder if they just wanted to have an even number of planets again. They say thay found one even bigger than Pluto even further away, so I guess that's not the issue. I am told that Pluto was not a bad assed body. It couldn't even push it's own moon around and was so afraid of Neptune that it ran out of the plane of the solar system every time it came around. What a sissy! Maybe it doesn't deserve planetary status after all!

I dunno. It DID have a surface, as opposed to the gas giants in that outer realm that can't be walked or landed on. Something we could land on if we took a notion to do so. It IS spherical..mostly..or so I am told. Even the Hubble can't really get a good look at it and Voyager was too far away to do anything out of the ordinary for Pluto as it headed out of the solar system. I suppose I'll get used to it, but wow, poor,poor Pluto.