Wednesday, August 30, 2006

More Pluto

I keep getting email about Pluto and planets. Let me clear this up. As an example, lets compare 3 objects against the IAU criteria and see how they classify: The International Space Station, Earth and Pluto

1) does it orbit the Sun?

ISS: orbits NASA funding source
Earth: Orbits Sun
Pluto: Orbits Sun most of the time, stops by Neptune for chinese take-out every now and then

2) Does it clear it's neighborhood of debies?

ISS: Cans and newspapers in yard, rusted '76 firebird in driveway
Earth: Has large Moon, many satellites, Counter-Earth on opposite side of Sun but otherwise free of debris
Pluto: Neptune constantly sweeping up Pluto poop and storing in sanitary bag

3) Does it have sufficient mass to overcome rigid body forces and become sphereical?
ISS: Good god, lets hope not! There are people in there!
Earth: Round, firm, fully-packed
Pluto: Round but with limited parking

4) Would Galactus eat it?

ISS: No, ISS would get caught under front bridgework and under crowns
Earth: Packed with donut-stuffed americans and germans! Yum!
Pluto: Yes, but it's 30K above absolute zero and would stick to his tounge like a popscile from a cold freezer. Not so good.

Conclusion: ISS: Not a planet, Earth: Planet, Pluto: frozen taste treat for world-devouring cosmic force.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Laughing my ass off to this one! Even read it to my wife. I myself am getting tired of addressing this. Thanks for the laugh this AM!!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I'm getting this too. Do I *look* like a planetary scientist? If Neptune has Chinese, does Counter-Earth have Thai?

-SW