Planet X, Pluto, and NASA New Horizons

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Even as the IAU was officially demoting Pluto, NASA was sending the first probe intended to study it. The history of our surprisingly fond relationship with what was originally known as “Planet X” deserves to be remembered.
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This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #Pluto

[@williamstheconqueror2820]

My Wife and I talked to Clyde Tombaugh numerous times, as he lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. He was a kind Gentleman and always took time to talk to people and sign autographs. He loved education and has an elementary school named after him. Professor Tombaugh helped to found the Astronomical Society of Las Cruces, which is very active to this day. He was an interesting man and great scientist.

[@biscuitninja]

Glad to see another LC person. Been to the Tombaugh Observatory a few times and saw him do a few NMSU symposiums.

[@paulricketts1089]

..I spoke with him at length at the RTMC back in the 90's. Your assessment of him is on the money. A CLASS Man in all departments..............

[@2255223388]

Crazy how professor means something different in the USA. In the UK, Australia, and New Zealand there can only be one professor in each field at each university. Everyone else is an "associate professor", or "lecturer".

[@EquuZombie]

In the early 2010s my life was a mess and I was so close to giving up, but I kept telling myself that I had to live long enough see what Pluto looked like even though I expected it would be plain and unexciting. When New Horizons finally arrived, I was moved to tears at how unexpectedly beautiful Pluto was. So I'm still hanging in there, because who knows what other beautiful surprises the future may hold. Though it's ironic that the discount advertised on a video featuring Pluto only applies to the sizes that the Pluto globe doesn't come in.

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

So happy you found a reason to stay❤️🤗🐝

[@Kenngo1969]

Glad you're still here and that you decided to hang on. Here's a song that helps me do that when I need it. (Fair warning: There is alcohol use in the video, so if that's something that triggers you, the song is "Carry On" by the band Fun. I'm sure you can find the song elsewhere if needed). kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2jcdH-kYrRgj5I Warm Regards, Best Wishes, and Carry On, @Kenngo1969

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

@mind fornication Go away hateful troll.

[@user-mp9rd4hg8b]

I don't see any discount at all. It's the same price whether I use the link or not

[@phil20_20]

Wait 'til they find that Dyson Sphere, floating around in the dark out there. 😊

[@tsbrownie]

Pluto, you will always be a planet to me!

[@keithtorgersen9664]

That’s my sentiment

[@wylinout2257]

Same 👍😁

[@lisamoore6804]

Same for me.

[@andy8073]

Astronomers are still searching for planet X, not planet IX 🤔

[@htoddgriffin4787]

Screw deGrasseTyson!

[@chuck2486]

Great video as always. Thank you History Guy!

[@rong1924]

“Dear ‘International Astronomical Union’: Your mother thought I was big enough” - Pluto

[@Jellyman1129]

They’re correctly nicknamed the Irrelevant Astronomical Union.

[@ernestcline2868]

“Our mother also thought you were much bigger than you actually are.” - IAU

[@elrafa5845]

😂😂

[@ernesthill4017]

Vulgar, but funny 😆

[@TrickiVicBB71]

I remember reading a Space Encyclopedia when I was 8 years old with detailed diagrams of each planet, star cycles, back holes. It talked about how NASA would launch a satellite in 2006 and it would take 10 yrs to travel. 8yr old me was blown away by that. Thinking I be some old man by the time that happen. Of course not. So when the news announced the first pics of Pluto. I was ecstatic

[@MakerInMotion]

@mind fornication I agree you're a nutjob.

[@pamelamays4186]

I will always be team Pluto!

[@DonaldWMeyers-dwm]

Along with its scientific equipment, New Horizons also carried some of Clyde Tombaugh's ashes, allowing his remains to pass by the planet he discovered.

[@asentienttoaster12]

Thats so wholesome to be honest

[@Renovion]

I loved this episode. The original Star Wars came out on my 5th birthday, I was fascinated by space ever since. I will be looking into those globes for sure. I was one of those who was livid when Pluto got Plutoed. Keep up with the great tidbits, I have been loving them for a few years now.

[@jasonwomack4064]

It'll be a cold day on Mercury before I recognize Pluto's downgrade.

[@alexandruianu8432]

It's always cold at the poles.

[@HemlockRidge]

@@alexandruianu8432 I think it's probably colder at the russians.

[@bepbep7418]

Yup. I don't care what a museum curator has to say about the subject.

[@ElValuador]

It’s regularly minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit but ok.

[@jasonwomack4064]

@@ElValuador average is +350 fairenheit on Mercury.

[@jerrymiller276]

I was a bit surprised that you didn't mention, at least in passing, the definition of a planet that the IAU came up with. A planet is a celestial body that: is in orbit around the Sun, has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape), and has "cleared the neighbourhood" around its orbit.

[@Pygar2]

So... Earth isn't one? Tunguska proves it?

[@jerrymiller276]

@@Pygar2 Nah, that's just a case of the planet keeping the neighborhood clear. Space may be pretty empty, but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of junk out there. Real planets don't like neighbors to be too close.

[@dirtcop11]

I am 71 years old and only recently learned of the named objects that are planetoids. My 6 year old grandson introduced me to those heavenly bodies. I think he may become an astronomer.

[@theemmjay5130]

Here's hoping he does. The world needs more scientists, of all stripes.

[@spvillano]

Here are a couple more friends to become acquainted with. The asteroid Ceres and the dwarf world Sedna, both around 1000 km in diameter and notable for their lack of moons. Or the astronomer's joke, the solar system, the Sun, Jupiter and assorted rubble.

[@orbyfan]

I attended a presentation on New Horizons at the University of Alberta a few years ago, and the photography was incredible. So many people attended that they had to open an adjacent room. However, the audio in that room failed, and those in attendance had to then stand outside the main room for several minutes in order to hear the speaker until the problem was fixed. I was amused to see that scientists could send a spacecraft to the outer reaches of the solar system with pinpoint accuracy, but couldn't communicate from one room to another.

[@swishersweet3756]

Gus Grissom did say, “How are we going to get to the Moon if we can't talk between two or three buildings?”. Apparently it's been an on-going tech issue with NASA.

[@orbyfan]

@@swishersweet3756 Sadly, that was almost the last thing he said.

[@TheChibiGingi]

If I had one of those planets on my work desk, I guarantee nothing will get done 😆

[@TheChibiGingi]

@Kelly Harbeson I'm tempted to get Venus or Uranus, tbh...

[@hello-cn5nh]

@@TheChibiGingi why not Jupiter? #GoBigOrGoHome

[@TypoKnig]

Pluto is a fascinating object, however we humans categorize it! Astronomers knew Pluto was small before its moons were discovered. First estimates were based on brightness. It was assumed to be as dark as Earth, so was estimated large. Then it was discovered to be mostly ice, more reflective than Earth, therefore smaller to reflect the amount of light seen. Pluto passed in front of a star, and the time the star was dimmed showed it was even smaller than prior estimates. Planetary astronomers joked that at the rate Pluto’s known diameter was shrinking, it would disappear in the 1990s. The discovery of its moon nailed the small diameter.

[@Scott-pn3np]

I remember as a child receiving the planet and stars that glow in the dark and books about the solar system and being fascinated by the outer planets the most. Especially Neptune and Pluto. I got to see Neptune in a fancy telescope in Arizona and it changed my life. Absolutely blows my mind

[@klford9499]

History Guy, You are the Best! Please keep sharing your knowledge with us.

[@mjscorn7943]

Lived in Flagstaff for several years, so yes it's a planet.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

So did I.

[@lawrenceallen8096]

Mork & Mindy: "Pluto? I've been there. Don't bother, it's a Micky Mouse planet."--RIP Robin Williams

[@MBMCincy63]

Shivering black bell thumbs up, thank you for your wide range of interest, of the details and the informative videos.

[@jerometaperman7102]

It's kind of ironic how Lowell saw patterns on Mars that weren't there and that sort of stuff is still going on today with people convinced that they are seeing artificial edifices, animal fossils and whatnot.

[@charlesbaldo]

Whatnot?? Reminds me of an astronomical/political joke. Men are from Mars, women from Venus and all the other genders are from Uranus.

[@davidbeckenbaugh9598]

Ah! Such as Devil's Tower is NOT a petrified tree stump of a mega-sized tree. Well, it actually IS a tree stump, even if all those other people are in denial. After all, we have qazillions of tree stumps made of lava..... right?

[@jerometaperman7102]

@@davidbeckenbaugh9598 - I'm sure those trees had leaves made of lava and they drew magma up through the ground to be evaporated into the atmosphere. This was in the days before there was rainfall. After it started raining on earth (starting with Noah, you know), it wasn't possible for lava trees to grow that big anymore. Good thing, too. Can you imagine how hard it would be to make a coffee table out of lava?

[@davidbeckenbaugh9598]

​@@jerometaperman7102 I know it is meant to be a ridiculous thing, but we cut a huge geode and made a coffee table out of it. Is lava harder? I think it can be done... After the geode... Yes, I CAN imagine how hard it would be..... Even harder would be moving it up three flights of stairs into my living room....

[@tessat338]

From her album "Shining My Flashlight on the Moon," Christine Lavin has a song called "Planet X" that covers the history of the discovery of Pluto. It contains lines about "The International Astronomical Union Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature." She wrote it as a sing-along.

[@MP_Single_Coil]

Clyde Tombaugh belonged to the astronomy department at my alma maters New Mexico State University. He was still teaching the occasional class while I was an undergrad. For that reason I will always refer to Pluto as a planet.

[@timothyodonnell8591]

Great, informative video!

[@KafkasCat]

Thanks for taking the time to talk about this. You’re describing me in almost every way except I’ve been like this for a long time before COVID. I’m constantly giving myself crap for not measuring up and handling the day like everyone else does.

[@adrianjorgensen3750]

Pluto you’ll always be a planet in my heart ❤️

[@billdescoteaux]

I am related to Percival Lowell, he is my 8th cousin, 4X removed. His fully paternal 7th-great grandfather, also named Percival Lowell (Lowle, 1571- 1665) is also one of my 11th-great grandfathers. He arrived in Massachusetts from England in 1639 on the ship Jonathan. He and his wife Rebecca Alice Goodale (1574-1645) were the progenitors of most of the Lowells in North America, including the affluent Massachusetts families (who the city of Lowell was named for), one of which the Percival in this video was born into.

[@BasicDrumming]

I appreciate you, thank you for making content.

[@timonmassarella5227]

History guy and aerospace content. Oh boy am I happy

[@GoGoGoLilQueenie]

As an Astrophysicist, Brian May of Queen was a collaborator with this program. He also wrote a song called New Horizons.

[@Michael98721]

WOW! I had no idea that there was a Rock Star Legend who is also an Astrophysicist aswell! Great comment! Very interesting!

[@oldsguy354]

He is a legendary rock star, who's thesis "A survey of radial velocities in the zodiacal dust cloud" earned him a doctorate in astrophysics, he's a huge animal welfare advocate, and in honor of his enormous contributions to music, science and charity, he was Knighted by King Charles at the end of December, so it's "Sir Brian May" to us commoners. Is he just showing off, or does he have Asian parents or what? I think I'd be afraid to be stand near him because I don't want to pass out when he sucks all the oxygen out of the room. ;) I can't wait to hear what else is on his "to do" list, and at this point if he was working on a cure for cancer and a peace treaty in Ukraine in his "spare time", i wouldn't be the least bit surprised. Lol Jonny Kim, the Lieutenant Commander Navy Seal, Medical Doctor, and NASA Astronaut is going to have to step up his game a bit to catch Sir Brian. Lol

[@Michael98721]

@@oldsguy354 WOW! Now that's an amazing human being! If only more "famous" people were to "give a little back" and dedicate some small portion of their time just a few minutes each to speak out for a peaceful resolution to this Ukraine conflict then it would probably be over in an instant! Rather they just continue to do little to nothing by way of using their powerful influence to save the world from a Nuclear Holocaust of which the potential has reportedly risen dramatically in recent months or to help end the killing and dying in Ukraine! Good information packed comment on a very rare uniquely talented person the very impressive Sir Brian May!

[@chopsddy3]

Great episode. 👍 (even though pirates were absent.)

[@Eric_Hutton.1980]

I don't care what the IAU says, Pluto will always be a planet to me.

[@ryanmarquez9404]

Science doesn't care about your feelings

[@scottabc72]

Pluto doesnt care but Makemake, Eris and the other dwarfs hate you

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

@@ryanmarquez9404 Despite what they may believe, that handful of scientists do not speak for the plant Earth. A great many of their own colleagues disagree with them and most of the people disagree with them.

[@iplyrunescape305]

It is still a Planet, the issue is that it's excluded from everything talking about planets since.

[@erinikeuchi6447]

Another interesting video. Thank you THG!

[@theccieguy]

Great Job 👍

[@LMacNeill]

It's been EIGHT YEARS since New Horizons flew past Pluto?!! Man, time is going by *FAR* too quickly.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Interesting and thanks to THG🎀

[@TerryBollinger]

The odd thing about Uranus is that it is absolutely visible to the unaided eye. A few years ago, there was a conjunction of red Mars and cool green Uranus, making Uranus easy to find. It wasn't hard -- both stood out easily, and that's from a suburb of Washinton, DC! I've seen theories that perhaps the fixation on the number 7 was so firm in antiquity that folks simply ignored an 8th moving object in the sky. Uranus also moves so slowly that perhaps the problem was not _seeing_ Uranus but realizing that this cool green star moved across the sky over time.

[@jackee-is-silent2938]

Many Solar system objects were observed and recorded before they were discovered, whether in notes, drawings, or photographs. Going back to the ancient world where Uranus was recorded as a star a few times.

[@pauliegee78]

Long live Pluto the PLANET!

[@zlpatriot11]

I grew up with Pluto being a planet, thus it being planet 9.

[@aemrt5745]

Fun fact, after discovering Neptune, Le Verrier postulated that Mercury's orbital perturbations were caused by a planet called Vulcan, that was inside Mercury's orbit. In the later 19th Century, there was a hunt to find it. As we know now, there is no Planet Vulcan (except, of course, for Spock's home world). Mercury's orbital perturbations are caused by Relativistic factors.

[@unassistedsuicide2243]

I’m fascinated!😊

[@adriennegormley9358]

Pluto may share a name with a cartoon dog, but it's name has a dual purpose. First, Pluto was the Roman God ofvthe underworld, but they key was the first 2 letters of the name. Pluto was chosen because of its first two letters, in order to honor Percival Lowell.

[@keithskelhorne3993]

before that he was called Hades, the Greek god of the underworld :)

[@calvinhobbes6118]

He literally states this in the video.

[@jasonlynn1017]

Thank You, dear, for defending The Gods, and those of us who prefer Rome and Athens to this dystopia (though who could live without electric guitars or antibiotics or birth control), nor did I know about Lowell, but it is not very strategic a naming when ALL the other planets are named after Roman Gods, is it?

[@anotherarmchairquarterback]

Til Valhalla. The Odin god had a son named Thor and the Yahweh god had a son named yashua aka Jesus. Is it true that we have over 2700 gods? Is evolution real? Did we evolve from neanderthals or was we created by some god aka magic man in the sky?

[@punditgi]

Definitely history that deserves to be remembered. 😊

[@roryvonbrutt7302]

fascinating.... as always‼️®️™️

[@joeybabybaby5843]

No matter what it's classified as, Pluto will always be included in planetary atlases, in the same way that the island of Bermuda, recognized as a mid-Atlantic feature soon after its discovery, is always included in atlases of the Caribbean.

[@williamdonnelly224]

Thanks!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you!

[@Zeldaschampion]

"Human computers" he mentions made me think of the Mentats from the Dune series.

[@MarshOakDojoTimPruitt]

thanks

[@Aramis419]

When you held up that globe of Pluto, you made me think you were some sort of Bond villain, and I laughed in Sean Connery. I heard Christopher Lee, "Ha ha ha! THIS is our next conquest, 007."

[@samisulaiman7967]

thanks you very much it is an exellent subject because for a long time we studied and teached that Pluto one of our Solar System

[@MultiPetercool]

Speaking of astronomy, how about a segment about the life of the eccentric James Lick and his landmark observatory?

[@mattcolver1]

I worked at Boeing where we built the 3d stage for the Atlas rocket that launched New Horizons. Then our division was split off as a joint venture with Lockheed and we became ULA. We already knew many of our new workmates at ULA due to our work with Lockheed on the New Horizons mission. After the New Horizons exploration of Pluto, Dr. Stern came to our company and gave a presentation. Pluto is stunning. I genuinely wish more solar system exploration could be financed by the governments around the world. It brings people together.

[@EPhotoAlbum]

Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930. When he died 67 years later, he requested his ashes be sent to space. And he got his wish when New Horizons launched in 2006. NASA officials attached a small container of a portion of Tombaugh's ashes to the upper deck of the spacecraft.

[@HemlockRidge]

My Very Extravagant Mother Just Sent Us Nine PARAKEETS

[@RCAvhstape]

THG you didn't mention the fact that NASA put up a website where you could type in your name in the early 2000s, so that when New Horizons was launched they would put all the names on a CD stashed aboard the spacecraft. Somewhere out there in the far reaches of the solar system is a CD with my name stored on it now.

[@crowonawirehome]

You got me laughing a couple of times 👍🏼

[@lindastansbury2067]

In school I was taught that Pluto is a planet and that's what it will forever be in my mind. I love your videos. I always learn something new and I thank you for that.

[@seanseoltoir]

There are many things taught in school that are not true -- especially today with all the leftist woke teachers...

[@iplyrunescape305]

Keep doing you, I will also call it by a planet. It's all arbritrary naming by us mere humans, so we can call it however we want and we will not be wrong.

[@danielgregg2530]

The History Guy hits it out of the park once again. YES, it DOES seem that no one is willing to agree on anything basic anymore (and it IS frustrating).

[@johnwallace9002]

Thank you for another great episode. I will always call Pluto a planet. If Clyde was still alive Pluto never would have been downgraded. Clyde was a really great guy and my mother's cousin😀

[@AaronOfMpls]

Having read plenty of astronomy since childhood, I didn't mind Pluto's 'demotion' _too_ much. Yah, it kinda sucked, but it also made sense -- in much the same way the large asteroids Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta got demoted. All four had been discovered in the 1800s decade, and had been regarded as (very tiny) planets. But all four gradually got dropped from lists of the planets once a bunch _more_ asteroids -- some of them larger than Juno -- were discovered in the 1840s and '50s and later. The discovery of more Pluto-size Kuiper Belt objects really _did_ force the issue with Pluto in basically the same way. Still, I get why people got upset -- especially those of us kids who'd identified with the 'little misfit' planet out there. (Though I _do_ wish they'd reserved a round Minor Planet number like 100000 for Pluto, rather than the "134340 Pluto" designation we _did_ get.) Excellent breakdown of this! ❤ and EDIT: For good further reading on the 'demotion', I'd recommend _How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming,_ by Mike Brown (the astronomer who discovered Eris and a bunch of other KBOs).

[@reelreeler8778]

In 2007 New Mexico (home state of Clyde Tombaugh) passed legislation that states when Pluto passes over New Mexico it is again a planet.

[@maflones]

No.

[@lordgarion514]

Problem is that the federal government helped create the IAU. And it was created specifically to name things in space. You would think that elected state officials would know that federal beats state. His law is literally unconstitutional, and therefore is invalid. 😄😄😄 I doubt anyone will sue. 🤣

[@user-jt3de6fr9p]

Pluto….. never forget ❤️

[@hamadalthani7535]

Thanks

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you!

[@almostfm]

Once Pluto had been observed long enough to get a good idea of its orbit, astronomers went back and examined images from where Pluto would have been when the images were taken. The earliest "pre-discovery image of Pluto dated from 1909.

[@thomashazard525]

I'm 63 years old so I grew up during the time when Pluto was counted as a planet. Regardless of what the experts say about it now, I will always think of it as one of the 9 planets. Long live Pluto, the planet!

[@kyleAGB]

Ok boomer

[@thomashazard525]

@@kyleAGB 🤣that phrase is so overused. Try to be original. Come up with something new. 🤪

[@tcschenks]

@@kyleAGB Us Gen Xers also counted Pluto as a planet.

[@scottabc72]

Proud to be unable to learn anything new?

[@thomashazard525]

@@scottabc72 I see the concept of sarcasm is beyond your mental capacity to understand.

[@coreydarr8464]

Thank you for the information, Pluto was a planet when I was a kid in the 60's & 70's.

[@YeOldeTraveller]

There are two items that I think should have been noted here: First, the reclassification of Pluto was not the first time this has happened. Ceres was considered a planet when it was discovered. Its reclassification to an asteroid came after the discovery that it was one of a set of objects in what we now call the Asteroid Belt. Due to it's spherical shape it was reclassified with Pluto as a Dwarf Planet. Second, the key purpose of the IAU decision was what body of the IAU would be responsible for naming the new objects that were starting to be found on the edge of the Solar System. They needed to develop criteria that could be used to determine which working group was assigned to name and track these new objects. It should also be noted that Pluto was frequently an exception to the characteristics associated with planets like the alignment of the orbital plan and the circularity of the orbit.

[@zackakai5173]

Finally, SOMEONE who actually knows what they're talking about ^^^ I'm always deeply disappointed with society when I read the comments on a video like this and it's all people getting threatened because something they learned when they were a child changed in the face of new evidence, rather than taking the time to actually learn about the reasons WHY that change was made.

[@lordgarion514]

At one time, before Pluto had been found, we officially had 18 planets. The small planets were dropped around 1850 IIRC. Leaving the 8 we now have, again. The fact is, Pluto should never have been classed as a planet. Simply because it has a LOT more in common with the other previously demoted planets, than with the current planets.

[@stevevernon1978]

yeah, but we didn't know that in 1930. it took them 50ish years to "demote" the new planets to the "new classification" of "asteroid"(later "minor planet") It has taken longer to demote Pluto, as it has been slower to find new plutinos.

[@nameinvalid69]

Pluto stamp don't have spacecraft on it... NASA : "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" 🤣🤣😂😂😆😆

[@Self_Evident]

Well... a "dwarf" planet, *is still a planet* ! :)

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

📣Back in the Saddle Again Naturally!

[@TSemasFl]

Good episode THG, i enjoyed it, great research. I don't care what those Europeans in the IAU think, Pluto is a planet, the 9th planet. They just hatin on us because we named it. Those globes are pretty cool, i'll check them out.

[@BTScriviner]

I think Neil de Grasse Tyson had a lot to so with it too.

[@mattthatsme8799]

WHOA!! I thought this was gonna be about Nibiru

[@rhuephus]

yep. me too ...

[@zounds010]

Classification (=dividing things into categories) has always been part of science, because it makes it easier to have a discussion when everybody uses the same classification. When Galileo saw Jupiter and understood that it was a planet like ours, the solar system had two classes: anything in orbit around the Sun is a planet, anything in orbit around a planet is a moon. Then we started to discover asteroids, starting with the largest: Ceres. This was initially considered a planet. Then we discovered hundreds of smaller objects in similar orbits, and astronomers added a new class: asteroids. Ceres was moved from the Planet class to the Asteroid class. Then we discovered Pluto. Seemed to be alone in its region, so it was considered a planet. Then we discovered hundreds of smaller objects in similar orbits, and astronomers added a new class: dwarf planets. Pluto was moved from the Planet class to the Dwarf Planet class. The more objects you have, the more classes it becomes useful to divide them into. This is done everywhere in science. What most people call mosquitoes, biologists divide into several hundred species. Etc. In this case, a scientific classification has entered the public consciousness and people are flipping out because they have an emotional attachment to Pluto.

[@iplyrunescape305]

That's not the problem, the problem is excluding Pluto as a -planet-. It can be called dwarf planet in my book, but it's still a PLANET. Because of the dwarf classification, Pluto is removed from nearly every official medium talking about planets. That's what the issue is being taken at.

[@imsonicnoob2112]

Well what about the 118 elements?

[@DavidHBurkart]

Thanks for setting the record straight Lance. The "demotion" of Pluto's planetary status means nothing to Pluto itself, as Pluto is Pluto regardless of human opinion or the opportunistic votes of a select few within a professional fraternity. We as humans regard our pet indulgences with greater importance than the factual data we selectively highlight or diminish them with.

[@ernestcline2868]

Personally, I think they should have defined "planet" as any sub-stellar object with sufficient mass to be a spheroid and called the big 8 that dominate their orbits "major planets". Might have lowered the controversy, but wouldn't have eliminated it.

[@jorikrouwenhorst7220]

To me that just sound like saying that Pluto is dwarf-planet in a different way

[@ernestcline2868]

@@jorikrouwenhorst7220 Agreed, but it sounds a little nicer.

[@-jeff-]

It seems with names like Pluto, Charon, Styx, etc, astronomers want to say; "It's cold as Hell out there!" 🥶

[@jasonhammond4640]

In a Loony Tunes Daffy Duck cartoon, Planet X was where the shaving cream atom came from.😄😄

[@iDEATH]

What I learned to today: what to use as an example next time I hear someone say "What's in a name?"

[@jeffbangkok]

Good night

[@matthewbyrd398]

I have thought about getting a MOVA Globe, but I noticed the ones behind you on the bookshelf, do not turn. Why is that?

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

They require fairly direct light, and I use umbrella lamps in the studio. It is difficult to put enough light on them in the studio without it causing glare in the camera. All of them work perfectly fine in natural light.

[@matthewbyrd398]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel so, overhead fluorescent lights in a office setting should work?

[@pub6023]

Another great video, on the MOVA globes….they can develop a bubble and stop spinning, check them out for sale as used….80% are sold “has bubble, not spinning” as the disclaimer. Not saying this for any other reason than I was researching to purchase one and this amount of non spinning globes for sale is a concern considering the price. Just my 2 cents worth…..I could be well wrong so make up your own mind on the matter. Cheers 🍻

[@jliller]

In my 8th grade science class we had a class project to draw the solar system to scale on a roll of toilet paper. It really underscored the absurd distance of Pluto from the rest of the planets. Considering that distance plus its odd orbit contrary to all the "real" planets I have no problem with Pluto being downgraded once other similiar celestial bodies were identified.

[@51WCDodge]

There is a joke at the Royal Observatory Greenwhich. They have a number of antique telescopes. On one of them the guide says to kids, and Gullible (Guilty! ) Adults. 'Look through this you can see Pluto'. So duly look, and little picture of the Dog is smiling at you. 😅

[@vtwinwild1]

I get why they downgraded Pluto, but I guess in many ways I am a relic of my time. Always interesting!

[@ariochiv]

Those globes are TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS! Holy sprockets!

[@SHAd0Eheart]

I don’t care what Scientists classify it as, Pluto is in my opinion the most interesting body in the solar system which is really saying something because EVERYTHING About the solar system is extremely interesting!

[@ernestcline2868]

Tony Simon's 1965 book, _The Search for Planet X_ was my childhood introduction to both astronomy and Pluto. It was a childhood favorite of mine. Nevertheless, I was in favor of having Pluto not included in the set of the eight planets that orbit the sun in the ecliptic plane and have orbits with low eccentricity even before the IAU made its decision. In keeping with another of my childhood influences, "One of These Things Is Not Like the Other" and Pluto is not like the eight planets.

[@kellyschlumberger1030]

Are you a shill? What are your affiliations? A troll, perhaps?

[@ernestcline2868]

@@kellyschlumberger1030 Nope, I'm a non-astronomer who realizes that Pluto isn't that similar to the eight major planets. It only shares one particular property with them, it's a spheroid. Its orbit is more eccentric than any of the major eight. (Only Mercury comes close to Pluto's eccentricity.) Its orbital inclination is considerably higher than the eight major planets. Moreover it's so light, the barycenter of Pluto and Charon is outside Pluto, another difference. (Indeed, Pluto-Charon should be classified as either a double planet or double dwarf planet depending upon whether one considers Pluto and Charon to be planets or dwarf planets, as their barycenter lies between them and they are tidally locked to each other.) At a minimum, classifying Pluto the same as the major eight would require classifying both Eris and Charon also to be consistent. Then to consistent with categorizing Charon as a planet, Ceres, Haumea, Makemake, and Gonggong definitely need to be and Sedna probably. There's just no way to creditably have Pluto be the ninth of nine major planets any longer. It's either eight major planets in the solar system not including Pluto or at least fifteen including Pluto. Moreover, Pluto is smaller than Titan. Besides, the Pluto-Charon doublet has a number of peculiarities that make it worth keeping it separate from the eight.

[@kellyschlumberger1030]

@@ernestcline2868 Thanks. The gravitational center between earth & moon, last I heard was 38 thousand miles beyond the earth surface. All heavenly bodies have such an offset. It just seems curious as to why you would dis a planet long accepted in history and culture. Kinda weird.

[@ernestcline2868]

@@kellyschlumberger1030 You are mistaken. The barycenter of Terra-Luna is within Terra. You appear to be confusing the L1 Lagrange Point, which is where you describe, with the barycenter. Part of the reason why Pluto eventually got demoted from major status is that every time until Charon was discovered, which allowed for an accurate value of Pluto's mass to be obtained, the estimate kept declining, from Lowell's pre-discovery estimate for Planet X of 7 Terran masses to its current value of roughly 0.002 Terran masses. Had Pluto indeed been as large as estimated shortly after discovery, roughly the size of Terra, it probably would still be counted as a major planet.

[@iplyrunescape305]

@@ernestcline2868 while I get your points, those are not the reasons they excluded Pluto. If mass/size was a factor, they would have stated. But no, it's supposedly because it "didn't clear its orbit". Whatever it means.

[@Quenstar]

They say that Pluto is not a planet; it is a dwarf planet. Wait, a dwarf what?

[@ironbomb6753]

Pluto is a cool name for a dog. 🙂

[@randalllewis4485]

Pluto's small size AND its unique orbit (significantly out of the plane of orbit of the 8 planets) were both among the points of argument that it was something different.

[@stevedietrich8936]

Pluto, you rock!

[@Russia-bullies]

What next from the advertiser?Globes that spin at the planets’ axes & at the right speed?That would be great.

[@JWSitterley]

Page2: Being from Flagstaff, most would contend that if it obits the sun, it’s a planet, dwarf or not. Harvard is clearly a sore loser here. Not as well known perhaps is that there was a competition between Prof Pickering of Harvard and Percival Lowell. With the observation from Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 at Lowell Observatory, located on Mars Hill by the way, Lowell won that contest. While the canals of Mars and little green men also came from Lowell himself, Pluto was confirmed at Lowell Observatory as a planet. The size of the planet and the covert way of voting is a sneaky way for Harvard to take credit away from Lowell and save face for Harvard’s despicable and now seedy reputation, which unveils its narcissistic intention, probably to charge more for its tuition. Furthermore, the scientists that didn’t vote back then were denied their voice. To conclude, Pluto has a mass of complex geological elements and compounds and which has moons within its own orbit - giving credence to the fact that it really is a planet. A new vote with all the members of the astronomical society should be rescheduled and retaken. Harvard has created this debacle and the planet Pluto should be reaffirmed as a legitimate planet within the field of astronomy and the wider public view which it sees as such.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

This video is a *9 OUT OF 9.* 😉

[@davidabbott7270]

She may have been downgraded by the scientific community but she will always be a planet in our hearts

[@jaywmeinen]

I don't know why the declassification of Pluto hit me so hard as it did so many others. I guess learning about Pluto throughout my education made me partial to keeping its planet status. I had no idea that Plutonium was named after Pluto. I have two Mova Globes, now. I find them fascinating. They just spin all day and stop at night. No wires. No switches. They just work. I've always been a fan of maps and globes so they're right up my alley. :-)

[@iplyrunescape305]

it still is a planet, it's just one organization that demoted it... I don't even know why everyone followed them. IAU? who the hell are they? The people who sent the New Horizons mission still believe in Pluto being a planet. So they're wrong too? yeah no, it's a planet still.

[@BLD426]

Pluto is my favorite "PLANET".

[@DugrozReports]

9:38 - My favorite planet is Juoiter. 😂

[@stevenhaley443]

The Big XII Conference is looking to expand its membership. Pluto State University is available and has my hopes up.

[@patrickdurham8393]

I guess we need a new mnemonic device since "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" is no longer valid.