Kenneth Chang continues the Pluto blogging by asking readers to select a preference among the following planetary options:
The Current Answer: Eight. The current situation dictated by the I.A.U. where Pluto is a dwarf planet, not a planet. The "No Planet Left Behind" Option: 13. If a planet were any round object in orbit around the Sun, that would include not only Pluto, but also the asteroid Ceres and three Kuiper Belt objects, Eris, Haumea and Makemake. The number of planets would continue to increase in the coming years. The Historical Precedent Choice: 10. If Pluto were set as an arbitrary lower limit for the size of planets, that would add Eris, which is larger. The Nostalgia Factor: 9. Pluto would be grandfathered in but Eris left out.
I choose "The Nostalgia Factor" (with the caveat that I really think it ought to be called the "Historical Precedent Choice"). What do others think?
