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The remarkable girl who named Pluto
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• Orion Best Beginner Telescopes (Affiliate link)
• Looking for a perfect gift for someone? Celestron's SkyMaster 15x70 binoculars will be loved by beginners and advanced amateurs alike.• Discover space for yourself and do fun science with a telescope. Here is some advice on how to choose a telescope.
• There is a bewildering variety of instruments on sale. Here's our simple guide to the different types of telescope.
• A telescope can make a great birthday present. Here are some pointers to buying a telescope as a gift.
This is a beautiful but sad story. I too would have liked to meet Venetia.
However, I want to point out that Pluto is NOT an "ex-planet." Please do not blindly accept the controversial demotion as reality when it represents only one opinion in an ongoing debate.
Only four percent of the IAU voted on the controversial demotion, and most are not planetary scientists. Their decision was immediately opposed in a formal petition by hundreds of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto. One reason the IAU definition makes no sense is it says dwarf planets are not planets at all! That is like saying a grizzly bear is not a bear, and it is inconsistent with the use of the term “dwarf” in astronomy, where dwarf stars are still stars, and dwarf galaxies are still galaxies. Also, the IAU definition classifies objects solely by where they are while ignoring what they are. If Earth were in Pluto’s orbit, according to the IAU definition, it would not be a planet either. A definition that takes the same object and makes it a planet in one location and not a planet in another is essentially useless. Pluto is a planet because it is spherical, meaning it is large enough to be pulled into a round shape by its own gravity–a state known as hydrostatic equilibrium and characteristic of planets, not of shapeless asteroids held together by chemical bonds. These reasons are why many astronomers, lay people, and educators are either ignoring the demotion entirely or working to get it overturned. I am a writer and amateur astronomer and proud to be one of these people. You can read more about why Pluto is a planet and worldwide efforts to overturn the demotion on my Pluto Blog at http://laurele.livejournal.com
I recommend you read Alan Boyle's new book "The Case for Pluto" and Dr. David Weintraub's book "Is Pluto A Planet?" for more information on the other side of this issue.
Pluto's demotion IS a reality while the IAU have jurisdiction over such matters. Anything else is wishful thinking.
While researching my book Where Did Pluto Go? I was fascinated to discover that when the discovery of Pluto was announced in 1930, doubts were already being expressed about whether it was a planet.
The IAU has jurisdiction over such matters only to the point that people consent to them having it. If enough astronomers decide the IAU is wrong and refuse to follow its dictates, as has happened with Pluto, that jurisdiction is unenforcable. In his recent NOVA documentary, Neil de Grasse Tyson made it clear that there is no consensus among astronomers as to whether or not Pluto counts as a planet.
As Dr. Alan Stern said, the IAU can declare the sky is green, but that does not make it so. And the concept of blindly following a decree simply because a tiny group in a position of "authority" said so is not science; it's dogma.
I am aware that Pluto's planet status has been in question since 1931, as I have done public presentations on this topic. That is still the case. The IAU view is nothing more than one interpretation of reality, not some sort of "gospel truth."