I think what it comes down to is you cant demote a planet. once something is
called a planet and that's accepted it is from then on a planet. The stuff
they are discovering now is too small to really be a planet. planetet mebe
;->. but you cant demote Pluto from planethood its just not cricket.

-----Original Message-----
From: pic microcontroller discussion list
[mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Russell McMahon
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 2:11 PM
To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: [OT]: New planet found


> The article I read doesn't consider "Sedna" a planet. But then the
> scientists they interviewed don't consider Pluto a planet either!

Indeed. That's why I said

> > At 3/4 the size of Pluto, if you count Pluto as a planet you (arguably)
have
> > to count Sedna as one as well.

Pluto has  a diameter of 2300 km and Mercury 4900 km so Pluto is about 50%
dia or about 10% the volume of Mercury. Who decides where "real" starts?
Mercury is almost "just a ball or iron" (iron core about 80% of total cross
section).

Finding Sedna augurs well for many more planetish type things being out
there.


        RM

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