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

From: Herbert Raab <herbert.raab_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Sep 14 02:54:24 2006
Message-ID: <27058.81.223.145.66.1158216861.bloek_at_pwebmail.utanet.at>

Larry Lebofsky wrote:

> Yes, the Center archives the obsevations, yes, they oversee the
> numbering and naming of asteroids and comets (and satellites).
> However, as Sterling has pointed out, they do not have any
> jurisdiction over naming of planets (other than a provisional
> number at the time of discovery) and with the IAU vote, it is
> not at all clear that they have any jurisdiction over dwarf planets.

As you point out, the Minor Planet Center archives (astrometric)
observations and assigns provisional designations on new discoveries,
and later permanent numbers on minor planets and periodic comets.
It has, however, no jurisdiction over anything regarding naming.
The IAU's "Committee on Small Body Nomenclature" (CSBN) is responsible
for naming minor planets and comets, and possibly it will be responsible
to name dwarf planets in the future, too. Brian Marsden is a member
of that comitee (as a representative of the MPC), but he's just one
member in a group of 16 astronomers. The MPC "administers" the naming,
i.e., it puts the names in their database and it published the names on
their web page. You may want to check out details on the CSBN web page
at http://www.ss.astro.umd.edu/IAU/csbn/.

> If we would have followed Brian's suggestion in 1998. That would
> have effectively ended the debate right then. Pluto would have been
> a minor planet, end of story.

It would have saved us from 8 years of discussiuon, which ended in
much the same result anyway: It would have assigned a "nice" number
to Pluto (it now has a minor planet number, too, but a "ugly" one,
long after a bunch of other, smaller and fainter TNOs), and as Marsden
suggestes, Pluto would have had a double status as minor and major
planet. It has a double status as a dwarf planet and minor planet now.
So there is not much difference. And if there are some differences, I,
personally, would say that the outcome of the 2006 vote is less favorable
for Pluto than in Marsden's 1998 suggestion.

Cheers,
  Herbert
Received on Thu 14 Sep 2006 02:54:21 AM PDT