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Re: Weintraub
February 8, 2009
by laurele,
41 weeks 3 days ago
Comment: 34373
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The statement, "no criteria based on physical or astrophysical principles are sufficient to distinguish Pluto and Ceres from Mercury and Jupiter" is a quote from Weintraub, so I cannot take credit for it. But it does encapsulate my view that whether or not an object is in a belt, if that object is large enough to have attained hydrostatic equilibrium, it is a type of planet. If we use dwarf planet as a subclass of planets to indicate these smaller but still round bodies in belts, we would be taking both the location and geophysical composition of these objects into account when creating the definition.
As far as a personal interest, I have always been fascinated by the solar system, and as a writer, I believe definitions are important. I feel very strongly that the IAU definition is terribly flawed, best described by Jonathan Coulton's song "I'm Your Moon" (quoted in Tyson's book) with the words "They invented a reason..."
Some of it is a personal quirk. I am a person of strong convictions, and when I believe in and advocate for something, I do it with all the energy I can muster. Either that, or some of my friends' suspicions are right, and I really am from Pluto. :)