The Astronomy Thread

Lenas

Lenas

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Pluto mountains picture in spoiler for size. Scene is 230 miles across.

nh-apluto-mountains-plains-9-17-15_0.png

More:Pluto 'Wows' in Spectacular New Backlit Panorama | NASA
 
Araxen

Araxen

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Pluto is going down as one of the most fascinating Planets in our Solar System.
 
Big Phoenix

Big Phoenix

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Such an idiotic definition. Should of just been spherical due to size/mass and completely differentiated inside. People were scared that we might of had 15 planets all the sudden.
 
Eomer

Eomer

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Big Phoenix_sl said:
Such an idiotic definition. Should of just been spherical due to size/mass and completely differentiated inside. People were scared that we might of had 15 planets all the sudden.
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A line needed to be drawn somewhere. If it's drawn to include Pluto, eventually we'll end up with at least a couple dozen. Pluto has far more in common with Ceres, Vesta, Eris, Quorar, Makemake, and a bunch of other KBOs than it does with the rest of the planets. That doesn't mean it's not a really interesting and important object. It's just different.

It's funny how buttmad so many people are about it.
 
Big Phoenix

Big Phoenix

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Nah. Vesta and especially Makemake are far from spherical.

Who cares if we have a few dozen planets in this system? Im willing to bet far more weirder systems are out there.
 
AngryGerbil

AngryGerbil

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I'll take one or two of those salient peninsulas near the big ocean. I figure beach-side property should be worth the most in the end. Once the lizards take over tomorrow, that is.
 
K

Kedwyn

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When I look at Vesta and Ceres they look completely different than Pluto. I could care less if Pluto is a planet or not but from a simple layman they don't look even close to the same.
 
Eomer

Eomer

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Kedwyn_sl said:
When I look at Vesta and Ceres they look completely different than Pluto. I could care less if Pluto is a planet or not but from a simple layman they don't look even close to the same.
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Do Earth and Jupiter look the same to you?
 
K

Kedwyn

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Eomer_sl said:
Do Earth and Jupiter look the same to you?
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Are you trying to claim that one isn't a planet?

When I look at Ceres and Vesta they look like moons or asteroids. They have no distinguishing features to me what so ever that make them planet like. In Vesta's case its not even shaped correctly. Looking at Pluto that isn't the case there also seems to be some actual geology going on there among a lot more interesting shit going on.
 
K

Kedwyn

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Lenas_sl said:
He's saying how similar or dissimilar they may look is irrelevant.
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For being a planet yes. I'm simply saying I wish there were other classifications for these bodies based on Geologic activity. It doesn't seem fair to lump Pluto in with these dead cratered worlds. Especially if it turns out that Pluto does in fact have an active core driving its geology.
 
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