[meteorite-list] Pluto is Now Just a Number: 134340

From: Herbert Raab <herbert.raab_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Sep 13 12:07:31 2006
Message-ID: <26721.81.223.145.66.1158163258.bloek_at_pwebmail.utanet.at>

Sterling K. Webb wrote:

> Marsden has been trying to get jurisdiction over Pluto for a
> long time. If it isn't a planet, why does he want it so badly?

As a matter of fact, the MPC already collects all available
astrometric observations for Pluto for many yeras now, as it
does for all minor planets (and that includes those which are
now called dwarf planets), all comets, and all the outer, irregular
satellites of the major planets. As you can see, the work of the
MPC is not strictly limited to minor planets.

Marsden suggested to award numer 10'000 to Pluto in late 1998. Not
because he wanted to have "jurisdiction" over it, but because he
foresaw the many discoveries of large TNOs we have now, and that
we have either the choice to classify Pluto with the minor bodies
of the solar system, or the end up in a sloar system with dozens of
planets.

Marsden wrote: "Although it is not unlikely that further Transneptunian
Objects as large as Pluto will be discovered in the future, Pluto
obviously holds a very special place in our appreciation of this new
population, and by assigning to it the number (10000), we should
guarantee that Pluto will be at the head of the Transneptunian list."

Now we have Pluto numbered as 130-thousand and something. Not very
easy to remember, and far behind a bunch of many fainter and smaller
objects in that region of the solar system. Oh, I wish that the
astronomers would have followed Marsden's sueggestion in 1998....

Marsden continued: "It is also very important to affirm that there is
absolutely no implied 'demotion' or 'reclassification' of Pluto from
its positionin the list of the 'planets' (or 'major planets' or
'principal planets'). Unfortunately, many of the articles that have
appeared inthe press have accidentally (or deliberately) misinterpreted
this issue. As with (2060) = 95P/Chiron, (4015) = 107P/Wilson-Harrington
and (7968) = 133P/Elst-Pizarro, where the choice of 'minor planet' or
'comet' designation depends on the context, we are proposing that
Pluto would have dual status as a 'major' and a 'minor' body."

So much about the "backdoor invite to demote Pluto".

Greetings,

  Herbert Raab
Received on Wed 13 Sep 2006 12:00:58 PM PDT