'œThe word is in,' said Chet Raymo in The Boston Globe, 'œand Pluto is out.' For more than 75 years, earthlings have been told that nine planets orbit their sun. Not anymore. At a highly charged meeting in Prague several weeks ago, the International Astronomical Union determined that Pluto, the icy runt at the outer edge of the solar system, isn't a planet after all. Smaller than Earth's moon and so distant it can't be seen with the naked eye, Pluto has been an oddball since its discovery in 1930. In recent years, as astronomers spotted several objects roughly the size of Pluto at the debris-filled edge of the solar system, they faced the awful possibility of expanding the roster of planets to 12, and perhaps more. So the IAU changed its definition of a planet to exclude these diminutive chunks of ice and rock. Henceforth, schoolchildren will be taught that there are eight planets, with Pluto relegated to a new category of 'œdwarf planet.'
Not everyone is taking this demotion lying down, said Kenneth Chang in The New York Times. More than 300 scientists have signed a petition protesting the IAU's decision, arguing that the change was too momentous to be approved by only a handful of the world's astronomers. The public is even more unhappy, said Jeremy Manier in the Chicago Tribune. Pluto has always been one of the most popular planets, especially among schoolchildren, who have long held a special affection for the small, lonely underdog 4 billion miles from the sun's warmth. Surveys show that 60 percent of the public doesn't want its planetary status revoked. Pluto is 'œpart of our culture, our common language. Since when does a Ph.D. in astronomy get a veto over that?'
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