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Planet Nine: 'Insensitive' Term Riles Scientists
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) famously reclassified Pluto as a "dwarf planet" in 2006. That decision remains highly controversial today, as made clear by the new note, which appeared in the July 29 issue of the Planetary Exploration Newsletter.
The note:
ON THE INSENSITIVE USE OF THE TERM "PLANET 9" FOR OBJECTS BEYOND PLUTO
We the undersigned wish to remind our colleagues that the IAU planet definition adopted in 2006 has been controversial and is far from universally accepted. Given this, and given the incredible accomplishment of the discovery of Pluto, the harbinger of the solar system's third zone — the Kuiper Belt — by planetary astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh in 1930, we the undersigned believe the use of the term 'Planet 9' for objects beyond Pluto is insensitive to Professor Tombaugh's legacy.
We further believe the use of this term should be discontinued in favor of culturally and taxonomically neutral terms for such planets, such as Planet X, Planet Next, or Giant Planet Five.
35 researchers signed the note, including Alan Stern, principal investigator of the New Horizons mission.
Of more interest may be this proposal concerning future exploration of Uranus and Neptune:
Related: Uranus and Neptune Are Potential Targets for 2030s Missions
Another Trans-Neptunian Object With a High Orbital Inclination Points to Planet Nine
CU Boulder Researchers Say Collective Gravity, Not Planet Nine, Explains Orbits of Detached Objects
Planet Nine Search Turns Up 10 More Moons of Jupiter
(Score: 2) by jelizondo on Thursday August 02 2018, @06:39PM (3 children)
Oh dear! How far we fallen!
I wish to protest the Higgs field name as being insensitive towards Aristotle’s aether and also, Empedocles is furious of the fun made of his theory of the elements.
Back to planets, calling Mars the fourth rock from the Sun is like totally insensitive to the Egyptians and Chinese, who were the first to identify it and study its orbit.
Need I go on? If we are going to “respect” dead people, let us respect all of them, not some particular guy for some stupid reason.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday August 02 2018, @06:48PM
I wish to protest the name Jelizondo: it is insensitive to the whole Tribe of Gum.
:)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 02 2018, @08:26PM
Wait, does that mean that studying Mars is cultural appropriation?
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday August 02 2018, @09:13PM
That's right. I'm dead sometimes, for tax reasons. I demand respect.