Pluto???

A large body of astronomers are meeting in Prague and one topic of debate is the planetary status of Pluto. Here is a good NY Times article that clarifies the issues involved. In short, Pluto is tiny, has an eliptical orbit around the sun, and orbits at a different angle than the other planets. Including Pluto as a planet would require raising its moon, Charon, and a couple other celestial bodies to planetary status. In the future, more "planets" could be added to this group, making our solar system even bigger. It could end up like the periodic table, which seems to get bigger and bigger each year.

On the other hand, Pluto is a cool name for a planet that many of us have grown attached to. I say Pluto is an oddball, and should be classified as a "dwarf planet." But Pluto is still cool.

I was thinking that it would be the coolest thing to be hanging out in bars in Old Prague listening to astronomers debate the status of Pluto. Tremendously cool.