Non-chess topic fun poll: Do you consider Pluto a planet?

[Kevin Pacey]

Here's a non-chess topic fun poll on a topic that's perhaps mildly controversial, namely whether to consider Pluto a planet. That's in spite of knowing that astronomers not that many years ago declared it to be a dwarf planet, i.e. no longer a planet, which reduces our known solar system to 8 planets.

[edit: below is a wiki about 'music of the spheres']

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musica_universalis

[edit: below is a wiki about 'Planets beyond Neptune']

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planets_beyond_Neptune

[edit: below is a wiki about Pluto]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto

[Kevin Pacey]

Bumping up this fun poll thread.

[Kevin Pacey]

Bumping up this fun poll thread again.

[Kevin Pacey]

Bumping the thread up again - more votes still trickling in!

[Kevin Pacey]

Another bump for this poll thread.

[Michael Jackson]

It sure is, albeit a dwarf one

[Kevin Pacey]

Google's definition of a Dwarf Planet, for what it's worth:

"a celestial body resembling a small planet but lacking certain technical criteria that are required for it to be classed as such."

It seems strange, for astronomers to use "Dwarf Planet", when they might have been more clear with something stodgier (albeit longer) like "Dwarf Pseudo-Planet" to show that they mean such an object is not to be classified in any way as a planet.

[Kevin Pacey]

We're up to seven votes to date for this fun poll, a pretty good rate for any poll on this Discussion book (not taking into account those within forums for meetings of, e.g., CFC Voting Members).

[Kevin Pacey]

10 votes and the majority consider Pluto a planet. Interesting.

[Javier Gil]

I must confess I voted that Pluto was a planet on "Melancholic grounds" :)
But after reading a few articles here and there, I now agree with the official astronomers position that Pluto is one of the 5 dwarf planets of the solar system.
The search for "planet 9", which many astronomers believe in, is quite fascinating though. It could have an orbital period of between 10.000 and 20.000 years, and it could be as large as 4 times and size of earth...
The evidence suggests that the gravity from a large undiscovered object is influencing the orbits of the most distant known Solar System objects... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Nine

[Kevin Pacey]

Personally I feel that the definition of a planet could prove malleable, if not arbitrary, so I won't be surprised if astronomers change their minds about Pluto's status yet again. There's already arguments pro and con for that that have been voiced on the internet, a quick search result once revealed to me.

[Kevin Pacey]

Bumping up this poll thread, in the hope of more votes still to come.

[Kevin Pacey]

Note that the accepted nomenclature for planets in its entirety is faintly silly at the moment IMO, in that all planets outside our solar system (i.e. not revolving around our star [the sun], but another one) need to be called Exoplanets, rather than just being called planets (as countless Sci-fi stories previously referred to them):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exoplanet

[Kevin Pacey]

Speaking of planets etc., near and far, here's the wiki re: extraterrestrial life, fwiw:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial_life

[Kevin Pacey]

below is a wiki about 'music of the spheres'
...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musica_universalis
...

Here's the wiki on the asteroid belt (somewhat related to the above):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_belt

[Kevin Pacey]

Pluto in astrology:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planets_in_astrology#Pluto

[Kevin Pacey]

Origins of Pluto, the Disney cartoon character:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto_(Disney)#Origin

[Kevin Pacey]

reuters.com/article/US-science-astronomy-water/Water found in atmosphere of planet beyond our solar system:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-science-astronomy-water/water-found-in-atmosphere-of-planet-beyond-our-solar-system-idUSKCN1VW2TJ

[Kevin Pacey]

reuters.com/article/US-science-astronomy-water/Water found in atmosphere of planet beyond our solar system:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-science-astronomy-water/water-found-in-atmosphere-of-planet-beyond-our-solar-system-idUSKCN1VW2TJ

Here's one way, perhaps, we might get there one day:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_ship

[Kevin Pacey]

Giant planet around tiny star 'should not exist':

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49855058

Edit: A later thread that may be of interest:

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/showthread.php?5222-Wiki-re-Solar-system

Especially notable is:
nbcnews.com/science/space/Pluto should be re-classified as planet, some scientists say:

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/pluto-planet-debate-rages-rcna8848

Re: music of the spheres (moon, in following case):
Hear Jupiter's moon Ganymede, the largest in the solar system, sing in new squeaky Juno video:

https://www.space.com/nasa-juno-jupiter-moon-ganymede-audio