2006-08-24

Below The Belt

A lot of sci-fi went out-of-date today when Pluto was downgraded to not-a-planet-just-a-big-lump-of-ice by the International Astronomer’s Union.

It was discovered in 1930 and its status has been hotly debated for the last decade – since we’ve had telescopes that can see as far as the Kuiper Belt, where dozens more “Plutonian” objects live. Several Kuiper Belt Objects are much larger than Pluto, which is only about the size of North America. I wouldn’t be surprised if half a dozen more actual planets are discovered within our lifetime, as technological advances lead to increasingly more powerful telescopes.

Here are two more good common-sense decisions from recent times: Herceptin will be available on the N.H.S. and stem cell research is funded by the European Union. Did I mention that I think I belong here?

6 Comments:

Blogger The Paranoid Mod said...

It was the right decision. Otherwise we would have ended up with loads of new planets, all of them boring. And planets should be exciting. Right, kids?

Ah, Europe. "The cutting edge of politics in an extraordinarily boring way" - E. Izzard.

17:17  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So, how am I supposed to remember the planets now that I can't use the ol' My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies? What will Mother be serving instead? I can't think of any foods that begin with N.

I feel kinda bad for Pluto now.

17:43  
Blogger The Paranoid Mod said...

Nuts, nougat, nachos, nutmeg, noodles, nectarines, newpotatoes...

:)

22:52  
Blogger Trundling Grunt said...

Put me in the pro-Pluto lobby - not leas of which because I wanted to see what Kitkat would do with Xena in the list.

Apparently the vote got shanghaied and lots of people are up in arms about it. Astronomers are such wacky folk!

01:03  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I got it! Noodles! My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles! Perfect.

22:29  
Blogger thisismarcus said...

Grunt: The actor Lucy Lawless is also the astronomer Lucy Lawless!? The mind boggles. I heard about the dispute too. Apparently there are layers of governing bodies at work here, like an onion.

12:51  

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