iblog

Mark: Much fervour has been generated by the recent demotion of Pluto to merely ‘dwarf’ status among the other planets of the solar system. Large protests are forming against the draft resolution voted in by a fraction of the members of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), generally claiming the new definition to be ‘fundamentally flawed’.

Dr Alan Stern, head of the New Horizons mission to Pluto, said “[…] it is impossible and contrived to put a dividing line between dwarf planets and planets.”, which is a valid point: after all, it did take two years’ worth of work, as the IAU proudly claims, to arrive at this controversial decision.

How on Earth could it take so long to define ‘planet’? More to the point, was it worth it? Celestial bodies come in all shapes and sizes and orbital configurations; surely, by drawing such fine lines, only more time will be wasted in argument over whether the next big rock passing through Hubble’s gaze is a planet or a pluton. There are more important questions to be asking: is it made of cheese?

Lottie: I have just arrived in the beautiful city of Paris without a proper clue but with the vague hope of subsisting here for the next couple of months, although I’m starting things off calmly with a french language course, which begins tomorrow. My initial advice to anyone planning on staying here for a prolonged amount of time is firstly, don’t panic, secondly get used very quickly to the very wide range of rude and friendly people on offer, and finally, get yourself a Carte Orange for travelling round the city on the Metro, busses, trams… A monthly pass costs just 52€, which is about £30 and gives you unlimited travel around the city centre, you can buy them at any Metro station and all you need is a passport photo. The one great benefit of living in London is that wherever else i travel i am always amazed by the cheapness of everything, cue an unwise decision to spend all my money on ‘bargains’ over the next few months, i’m sticking with the Carte Orange though!