When It Comes to Planets, Size Matters!

Poor rinky-dinky Pluto, we hardly knew ya! Yes, it's true -- the Cindy Brady of our solar system has been demoted to dwarf planet status. From now on, the poor thing will have "and then there's Pluto" status in science classrooms around the world.

7 planets...that just sounds wrong! I know Pluto didn't have big snazzy rings like Saturn, an amusing name like Uranus or a never-ending red storm like Jupiter, but darnit, it was our little icy rock.

I better call Mom and have her throw out the solar system model I made in my elementary school days. (Or maybe just cut off the end). It's a good thing I don't remember the little rhyme we learned to remember the planets. (The "Every Good Boy Does Fine" of the science realm.) I'd have to change the ending and that might not make sense. (Does anyone remember that rhyme/saying? If you do, let me know.)

Thank goodness Clyde William Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto, is not alive to witness this day. You go to all the trouble of discovering a planet and naming it after a Disney cartoon (tee hee) and then poof - it's a dwarf. Discoverer of a planet sounds much more exciting than discoverer of a dwarf planet. That's like finding a rock in your backyard or something.

And how do you think Neptune feels? Pluto's orbit crosses Neptune at times. What would it be like to be out-orbited by a non-planet. It'd be like having space dust beat you in a race!