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?