Planet Dilemma
There is an Astronomy debate as to what is a planet and if Pluto should be demoted. The whole problem really centers around the definition of what a planet is. This has become more complicated with the discovery of the Kupler belt. Clearly (from what we now know) planets, suns, moons and asteroids are not discontinuous categories, so where do we draw the line. Scientifically it make no difference but astronomy gets a lot of funding and has simple enough feature for the public to learn. Therefore I propose adding any new Kupler belt objects to the list of planets. It will only increase what simple things the public can learn about our solar system. Sticking with the obvious 8 planets means less stuff they can learn. Adding new planet will mean they can publish new astronomy books and kids will be delighted to hear there was a new planet discovered which can only enhance the interest in astronomy which is the only thing that matters to non-astronomers.
1 Comments:
You put forth an interesting point in getting children engaged in science, but as a purist I believe we should leave it at eight. Impeach Pluto!
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