Pluto is no longer a planet

The International Astronomical Union declared today that Pluto is no longer a planet. From the AP:

For now, membership [of the planets] will be restricted to the eight ”classical” planets in the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Much-maligned Pluto doesn’t make the grade under the new rules for a planet: ”a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a … nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.”

Pluto is automatically disqualified because its oblong orbit overlaps with Neptune’s.

Instead, it will be reclassified in a new category of ”dwarf planets,” similar to what long have been termed ”minor planets.” The definition also lays out a third class of lesser objects that orbit the sun — ‘’small solar system bodies,” a term that will apply to numerous asteroids, comets and other natural satellites.

Poor Pluto, stripped of it’s title — now it’s just another piece of crap floating in space. But how are elementary school kids going to remember their planets now? “My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies” just doesn’t work anymore. Two suggestions I’ve seen are, “My Very Evasive Mouse Just Scares Us Now” and “Man, very erroneous! Moronic jerks shouldn’t uninclude neat Pluto.“

Do you have any suggestions? Leave some in the comments.

via NY Times

Tagged: Astronomy, Planets, Pluto, Mnemonic Devices