Make Pluto A Planet Again
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The International Astronomical Union
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August 24, 2006 will forever go down in history as The Day A Planet Died. No, nothing in the heavens exploded in firey doom, but millions of hearts around Earth disintegrated like so much cosmic dust nonetheless.
Today, the International Astronomical Union proclaimed that Pluto- that eternal underdog of orbiting bodies, that chunk of ice with a diameter of less than two-thirds the width of the United States, that final destination of history's longest roadtrip: NASA's New Horizons nine and a half year journey- is no longer a planet.
I, and millions of others since 1930 who hastily stuck styrofoam balls on bent coat hangers to make last minute science fair projects, feel as if someone just told me Taft was no longer considered a president: slightly confused. Not so much as I would be if I was told, say, Lincoln was never a president, but forlorn even so. The scrappy guy who is remembered for only something unflattering (Taft was so big he got stuck in a bathtub, Pluto is so small it got stuck in other planets' orbits) but soldiered on to make a tiny mark, is being forever snuffed from history.
For nostalgia sake, can not Pluto be "grandfathered" in to our solar system? Why must it be so unceremoniously stripped of its dignity? It's only a wee place, it never hurt anybody- can't we just let it hang out with the other planets to boost its ego? Next thing we know, Pluto is going to be wearing all black, writing bad poetry, and shopping at Hot Topic like the rest of the dejected Nouveau Salingers of today. I'm betting the price of a prescription for Prozac is mighty high for a planet. Do we want its suicide on our collective conscience?
Finally, I ask you this: WHAT exactly is my very educated mother just going to show us? WHAT? It is a question that will be eternally shrouded in mystery for future generations. They deserve the truth.
Think of the children. Make Pluto a planet again.
Today, the International Astronomical Union proclaimed that Pluto- that eternal underdog of orbiting bodies, that chunk of ice with a diameter of less than two-thirds the width of the United States, that final destination of history's longest roadtrip: NASA's New Horizons nine and a half year journey- is no longer a planet.
I, and millions of others since 1930 who hastily stuck styrofoam balls on bent coat hangers to make last minute science fair projects, feel as if someone just told me Taft was no longer considered a president: slightly confused. Not so much as I would be if I was told, say, Lincoln was never a president, but forlorn even so. The scrappy guy who is remembered for only something unflattering (Taft was so big he got stuck in a bathtub, Pluto is so small it got stuck in other planets' orbits) but soldiered on to make a tiny mark, is being forever snuffed from history.
For nostalgia sake, can not Pluto be "grandfathered" in to our solar system? Why must it be so unceremoniously stripped of its dignity? It's only a wee place, it never hurt anybody- can't we just let it hang out with the other planets to boost its ego? Next thing we know, Pluto is going to be wearing all black, writing bad poetry, and shopping at Hot Topic like the rest of the dejected Nouveau Salingers of today. I'm betting the price of a prescription for Prozac is mighty high for a planet. Do we want its suicide on our collective conscience?
Finally, I ask you this: WHAT exactly is my very educated mother just going to show us? WHAT? It is a question that will be eternally shrouded in mystery for future generations. They deserve the truth.
Think of the children. Make Pluto a planet again.
359 Signatures
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Maria E. Renzelli
- Comments
- Pluto thanks you.
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Rachel
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- The sun is star like Pluto is planet.
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Tegan
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- Pluto is a heaps neat planet.
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Jess
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- What did Pluto ever do to you?
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Ryan Nelson
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Mike
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- Pluto is teh greatest planet. It's also a cartoon dog. *nods*
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Nicole Pietrowski
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jenny england
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Steven Roberts
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Heather
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Tim Lota
- Comments
- SAVE PLUTO!!!!!!!
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Anthony Morecroft
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- Think of all the lopsided mobiles, castrated to fit in with current thinking. Imagine if you were 80 years old and someone told you they'd found a bit since adjudged to not fit in and it had to be removed. All those science projects, ruined.
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Karen
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Kari Lukowski
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jessica m
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Helen McCarthy
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sam tubbax
- Comments
- pluto rules
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Heleen
- Comments
- we miss you,pluto!
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JJ de la Robins
- Comments
- What did Pluto ever do to you?
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vanardennen claudia
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Marie Jacobs
- Comments
- It pinched me last week. No, wait that might have been Saturn... Save pluto!
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Johan Lievens
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Donna
- Comments
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Glenn
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Lawrence Vancraeyenest
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john todd gaskell
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Jonathan vdB
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- !!
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Wyatt
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- Pluto moet blijven
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Reetika Mohanty
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dorien
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Robby
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- Pluto is still the dog. Pluto is still the planet. : ]
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Nick Minton
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Brandon Johnston
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george jenness
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Mickey Mouse
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- What am I gonna call my dog now?
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Ben
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megan
- Comments
- i love pluto
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liz
- Comments
- i love pluto
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Laurel Kornfeld
- Comments
- Pluto orbits the sun, has three moons, and even has an atmosphere, characteristics that clearly make it a planet. Leave it be!
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mitchell mathis
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Adam F. Daniels
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Jessica Cantrell
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- I loved Pluto. =(
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Dylan Yentes
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- I miss it so much....
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Nico
- Comments
- Pluto must be a planet! WE LOVE PLUTO!
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Taylor I
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- My whole life, pluto was a planet, it must be, it has a name and it needs to be a planet, you can't just get rid of people's history quickly like that, it's tyranny!
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Michael
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- pluto rox my sox
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Andy
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- It is so stupid to make Pluto a dwarf..c'mon!
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Angela Puro
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- Pluto didn't deserve this... It was mean and unnecessary
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Mark Burger
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- It is unfair to have let Pluto be a planet for more than 80 years and then revoke the title. I would go so far as to say that there should be no everyday distinction between planets and dwarf planets and than Ceres and Eris should become full-fledged planets as well.
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Diana DeFilippo
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359
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