My very educated mother just served us nine…nine…nine WHAT?
Pluto has been demoted. The familiar mnemonic device used by kids everywhere to remember the names of the planets, in order of distance from the sun, is now obsolete.
Pluto is still the Roman god of the underworld, and since his Greek name is Hades, perhaps it wasn’t so appropriate to name a celestial body after him anyway.
Just think of all the books that will have to be rewritten, the models that will have to be reproduced, the planetarium shows that will have to be revamped. Even Schoolhouse Rock will have to redo the song about “Interplanet Janet”. Wikipedia has already updated their entry on the solar system, noting that Pluto’s status has been downgraded to “dwarf-planet”, but it will probably take other sources quite a while to make similar changes to their content.
Inconvenience aside, such change is characteristic of science. In order for our knowledge of the world around us to progress, we have to be willing to embrace change in the face of scientific evidence. Pluto’s redesignation may be more a matter of semantics than say, the Laws of Thermodynamics, but scientific advances may necessitate restructuring of thought. Likewise, Pluto’s redesignation may not threaten deeply-held religious beliefs as say, heliocentrism (as advocated by Copernicus and Galileo) did, but scientific advances may necessitate abandonment of religious dogma.
In the meantime, I’d like to be the first to suggest a new mnemonic device for the next generation:
“My valued education must jettison scientifically unsubstantiated news.”
August 25th, 2006 at 7:34 am
This is so totally screwing with my brain. How do you make something a planet no longer a planet and doesnt anybody have anything better to do???
August 25th, 2006 at 7:35 am
Funny, when I posted about this I, too, was most disturbed about the lack of pizzas … the things that stay with your from grammar school, eh?
August 25th, 2006 at 7:50 am
Sigh. I’m not okay with this. And I don’t know why.
August 25th, 2006 at 7:59 am
I’m not one to stand in the way of progress but I’m a little sad for good old Pluto. I feel like a portion of my childhood was a lie. All those models of the solar system that I created for various science fairs were wrong. I may never recover from this.
August 25th, 2006 at 8:03 am
Dude. You forgot every middle-schooler’s favorite planet: Uranus. (Which proves my lame-assedness because I still giggle a little when I say it…)
How ’bout “Unsubstantiated”
August 25th, 2006 at 8:11 am
Uh, yeah. Just slightly red-faced (like the spot on Jupiter, ha ha) at the fact that I forgot Uranus. How could I possibly forget Uranus? Uranus means so very much to me.
August 25th, 2006 at 8:36 am
See, you can think on the fly, too, just like those wacky scientists.
I feel sorry for Pluto, little Pluto, the farthest (dwarf) planet from the sun.
August 25th, 2006 at 8:51 am
Pshaw. I think you should “jettison” that red face. I’m impressed you remember ANY of the planets, much less the device. The only one I can remember is the great lakes one: SuperMan Hates Eating Onions.
I can’t TELL you how that has helped me in life…XO
August 25th, 2006 at 9:40 am
A dwarf planet! How humiliating. Poor little guy.
August 25th, 2006 at 9:49 am
Poor ol’ Pluto.
August 25th, 2006 at 11:44 am
I’m not okay with this either…like, way to pick on the little guy. You know?
August 25th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
Hold on…let me look up what “jettison” means…(yeah, i suck…did I tell you I was an English major? yeah, i double suck.)
OK, yep. I’m all for the new mnemonic. Sounds good!
August 25th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
[still weeping for Pluto]
August 25th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
YOU’RE BRILLIANT!
I know it’s a lot of syllables, for say a third grader, but I think it’s just perfect.
August 25th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
My son was a little obsessed with Pluto earlier in the year. He has two books about it. I hardly know how to tell him.
August 25th, 2006 at 4:27 pm
I find the unthinking use of the word “dwarf” to be culturally insensitive. I might lead a protest.
August 25th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
Yes, I think they prefer the term “lilttle planets”.
I think this whole thing sucks. Why can’t a dwarf planet still be considered a planet? If they decided it was just a big ball of shit floating in the universe, then I could understand the downgrade, but it should still count for something. I guess I will adapt over time, which is important in the name of scientific progress, but I still think a dwarf planet should at least be considered an honorary big boy.
I will go continue to sulk now…..
Stacey
August 25th, 2006 at 7:03 pm
It was one of the easiest to remember! Damn..that and Uranus.
August 25th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
My first thought when I heard that news is that Blue’s Clues will have to change the word to “The Planet Song”. They might even have to bring Steve out of retirement!
I’m thinking My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nectarines.
August 25th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
Isn’t the more politically correct term “little planet”?
At least they left Uranus alone…. (sparking all who hear that statement to say “Hey! Stay away from my anus!”)
They can’t change the Blues Clues planet song. “Uranus spins on its side…”
August 25th, 2006 at 11:28 pm
Well, I think if they have downgraded Pluto to a dwarf planet then they must change it’s name….say to Dopey, or Sleepy, perhaps Bashful? After all Pluto is a planet name not a dwarf planet name. I am sure the name will be next to go!
August 26th, 2006 at 5:58 am
So, scientifically speaking, size really does matter!
” )
Poor Pluto…
August 26th, 2006 at 7:32 am
surprisingly, i have never heard of the very educated mother thing - and neither have my kids. must not be taught in the mid-west. hmmmmm? (oh don’t even go there with the kansas thing - we’re in missouri, thank you vey much)
and as i said on IAI, i now no longer have a ruling planet. what do i do about that? all those scorpio people running around out there with no ruling planet!
people better watch the flip out!
August 26th, 2006 at 7:59 am
Dennis stole my comment!!
August 27th, 2006 at 8:30 am
My very educated mother just served us nachos. But I like yours way better.
August 28th, 2006 at 1:44 am
That mnemonic totally rocks. And how often do you get to say that?
August 28th, 2006 at 7:04 am
Nachos. Hmph. I like pizzas WAY better.
August 28th, 2006 at 3:13 pm
What’s Disney going to do about that dog character of theirs? Maybe he’ll start referring to himself as The Character Formerly Known as Pluto, or adopt some symbol, like ^&^.
March 11th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Don’t be so quick to rewrite any books or songs or worry about what to tell children. This demotion will not stand. What many do not realize is that it was made by four percent of the International Astronomical Union on the last day of a two week conference in a very surreptitious and controversial process. No absentee voting was allowed, and most astronomers who voted were not planetary scientists. Also, as a writer, I specifically note that the claim that a dwarf planet is not a planet at all makes NO linguistic sense. Within days of this decision, 300 professional astronomers, led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto, signed a petition saying they will not use the new definition. Stern continues to refer to Pluto as the ninth planet, as do many astronomers and lay people. He also notes that a small group of astronomers “hijacked” the IAU vote and describes the demotion as “sloppy science that would never pass peer review.” This controversial demotion is likely to be revisited again at the IAU’s next General Assembly in 2009. Meanwhile, there is nothing incorrect about continuing to refer to Pluto as a full-fledged planet.
Laurel Kornfeld’s last blog post..Support for Pluto Continues to Grow