Disqus - Latest Comments for laurele

Re: New evidence for Planet 9 at the fringes of our solar system

laurele — Sun, 19 May 2024 12:26:47 -0000

If this world exists, the appropriate term for it is "Planet X," not "Planet 9," as our solar system already has more than nine planets. Dwarf planets are planets too; they are a subclass of full planets. This means our solar system has a minimum of 13 planets and counting.

Please stop promoting Mike Brown and his controversial book, as this website is an informational one, not his personal PR site. Brown did not "kill" Pluto. Four percent of the IAU voted on the controversial demotion of Pluto, which most planetary scientists reject to this day. Brown is not and never has been an IAU member. He has been using this issue to promote himself and his personal agenda of "killing Pluto" as a means of pursuing money and fame. Not surprisingly, he is the person who coined the term "Planet 9," specifically to promote his view of the solar system. In 2018, planetary scientists issued a formal request that this hypothetical planet be referred to by the traditional term for a hypothesized but undiscovered planet, which is "Planet X." The "X" refers to the unknown, not to the number 10.

Re: Lineup of 6 planets soon to grace our morning skies

laurele — Fri, 17 May 2024 15:09:11 -0000

There are not only eight major planets in the solar system. There are at least 13, as dwarf planets are planets too. They are a subclass of full planets. Please write in a neutral manner that acknowledges the ongoing debate over planet definition instead of presenting one side of the debate as fact, when that is not the case.

Re: Are Eris and Pluto very different on the inside?

laurele — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:04:49 -0000

Our solar system has more than 8 planets. Dwarf planets are planets too; they are a subclass of planets just like terrestrials and jovians.

Re: Learning to Love Growth

laurele — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 14:26:10 -0000

"Apartments act as a bridge between college and marriage for people in their twenties..."

Not everyone chooses to get married or live the traditional spouse and kids life. This needs to be acknowledged. Single people can and do buy homes, and many people do not ever downsize. Some families stay in apartments. Towns need to take lifestyle diversity into account and not assume everyone follows the same life script.

Re: ‘American Horror Story’ Will Feature Kim Kardashian—And We’re Not Kidding

laurele — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 19:10:05 -0000

There is no way Kim Kardashian beat any other actress in an audition. I will be boycotting in protest of this casting.

Re: The End of the Summer

laurele — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 17:26:11 -0000

I am one of the most prolific people who object to claims that summer ends on Labor Day or the first week in September and who responds to those claims with emails and comments saying , no there are three more weeks, as summer lasts until the Autumn Equinox. I am sorry that this offends you, but I have no plans to stop. Memorial Day and Labor Day are not seasonal markers. They have nothing to do with seasons. One is to honor fallen soldiers, and the other is to honor workers and their right to organize into unions. "Meteorological seasons" are made up simply for the convenience of meteorologists so they can deal with full months instead of partial months for those that start the seasons. They are not based on science.

Northern hemisphere summer runs from June 21-September 23 (this year's Autumn Equinox is on the 23rd). By definition, Earth's seasons are based on astronomy and the tilt of Earth's axis, so "astronomical seasons" are the only ones that are authentic. If the US is using wrong dates that do not even correspond with actual weather changes, then that should be fought and changed, not blindly accepted.

In many places, the energy and weather patterns are still very much summer. It's 93 degrees and humid outside right now here in New Jersey. Early March is still cold and snowy and is certainly not spring. For many areas, the astronomical seasons are the ones that correspond with energy and weather changes. Of course, climate change is likely to alter that.

You may love September-December, but that doesn't mean you get to decide that fall begins three weeks early. I love Halloween too but do not like days getting shorter and hold on to summer as long as I can. In fact, Halloween is actually Samhain, a word that literally means "Summer's End," as the Celts recognized only two seasons, summer and winter.

I will continue to fight for my society to use accurate seasonal markers.

Re: Simple Witchery: Blue Moon with Mercury Retrograde

laurele — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 18:29:57 -0000

Mercury is not the solar system's smallest planet. That would be Ceres, as dwarf planets are planets too. They are simply a subclass of full planets.

Re: Today in science: Pluto demoted to dwarf planet status

laurele — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 16:56:59 -0000

Alan Stern has an audio recording of Tyson saying he is perfectly fine with dwarf planets being considered a subclass of planets.

Re: Today in science: Pluto demoted to dwarf planet status

laurele — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 14:48:33 -0000

"Nowadays, though, it seems most have accepted the logic of Pluto’s re-classification."

This is false. It is not accepted, especially by most planetary scientists. The problem here is the unquestioned assumption that a vote by a small number of people can actually change an object's status. It cannot. Just four percent of the IAU voted on this, and most weren't planetary scientists but other types of astronomers. An equal number of professional planetary scientists rejected their decision in a formal petition led by New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern. Ironically, Stern is the person who first coined the term "dwarf planet," way back in 1991. However, he did so to designate a new subclass of planets, not to designate non-planets. The four percent of the IAU who voted on this misused his term.

The resoluton adopted in 2006 was not the one presented by the IAU Planet Definition Committee. That one was voted down, at which point, the issue should have gone back to the committee, but that never happened. IAU bylaws require resolutions to first be vetted by the appropriate IAU committee before being put to the General Assembly floor, but this was not done with the resolution adopted in 2006. Planet Definition Committee chair Owen Gingerich said he had no ideal that a few people would throw together a last-minute resolution the night before the last day of the conference.He had left early and said publicly in 2008 that he would not have done that if he had known this would happen.

Just because the IAU does not consider Pluto a planet does not mean it isn't one. Most planetary scientists favor the geophysical definition, which does not require an object to clear its orbit to be a planet. According to this definition, our solar system has a minimum of 13 planets and counting.

Re: Today in science: Pluto demoted to dwarf planet status

laurele — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 00:44:12 -0000

Pluto never stopped being a planet, and dwarf planets are planets too. Alan Stern coined the term dwarf planet in 1991 to desigate a new subclass of planets in addition to terrestrials and jovians. Just four percent of the IAU voted on this, and most were not planetary scientists but other types of astronomers. Their decision was immediately opposed in a formal petition by an equal number of planetary scientists. And the IAU decision is NOT accepted today. Most planetary scientists reject it in favor of the geophysical definition, which does not require an object to clear its orbit to be a planet.

The biggest disservice to the public is the media's wholesale acceptance of the notion that the IAU has the power to change Pluto's status. It does not! The IAU, or four percent of it, may no longer consider Pluto a planet, but that does NOT mean it isn't one! Their view is just one view in an ongoing debate. They do not determine what is "truth," and by acting as if they do, the media has blindly accepted the unscientific notion of science being dictated by decree of "authority."

Furthermore, the IAU's Planet Definition Committee did not propose or approve of this definition. Their resolution was voted down by the General Assembly. On the night before the vote, a small group of astronomers threw together the resolution that ultimately was adopted. While IAU bylaws require resolutions to first be vetted by the appropriate IAU committee before being put to the floor of the General Assembly, this was not done. This means the vote violated the IAU's own bylaws. Planet Definition Committee chair Owen Gingerich noted that he left early because he had no idea that a small group would do this and hijack the vote. Had he know, he emphasized, he would have stayed until the end of the conference.

Here is my point-by-point rebuttal of the IAU's discussion about its 2006 vote: http://laurelsplutoblog.blo...

Next time, please explain the context of this incident and report both sides of this ongoing debate. The public deserve no less.

Re: The “Pay the $8” Crew Is Mad They Just Paid for an Emoji

laurele — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 19:33:41 -0000

The old system had many problems, specifically, unnecessary gatekeeping of those thought unworthy of verification. As a writer and actress, I tried for years to get verified and even got scammed along the way. There was no set system by which one could become verified, which means there was a lot of randomness to the process.

Re: WATCH: Revolting Trump Ad Attacking DeSantis ‘Pudding Fingers’ Airs on CNN Right After Generic Viagra Spot

laurele — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 12:25:51 -0000

Social Security and Medicare are not "entitlements." They are earned benefits.

Re: Netflix’s ‘Dance 100’ Competition Series Does Nothing To Combat Fatphobia in the Dance Industry

laurele — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 19:06:51 -0000

If that is a picture of her, she is not a fat woman. She's a normal-sized woman.

Re: A moment of global darkness on December 6

laurele — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 11:38:49 -0000

December 6 is still northern autumn, not winter.

Re: World population to reach 8 billion in late 2022

laurele — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 12:06:17 -0000

But will it still be habitable for people?

Re: Could the British Royal Family Have Saved the Romanovs?

laurele — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 23:56:48 -0000

I feel nothing for the Romanovs on a human level. My great uncle took part in the revolution that overthrew them and gave his life for that cause. If anyone is responsible for that family's murder, it's Nicholas the Bloody himself, whose evil policies doomed them.

Re: 9 Stories In Honor Of Our Favorite Ninth Planet — Pluto!

laurele — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 13:37:13 -0000

There is no need for kids to memorize a list of names. That's an old teaching method dating back to the days when little else was known about the planets besides their names. Today, kids can be taught the characteristics of the various subtypes of planets, such as terrestrial, gas giant, ice giant, dwarf planet, etc. There is no scientific merit whatsoever to the claim that the solar system cannot have "too many planets."

Re: 9 Stories In Honor Of Our Favorite Ninth Planet — Pluto!

laurele — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 13:34:51 -0000

That designation is offensive and wrong and should never be used. Minor planet numbers are for asteroids and comets, objects not large enough to be rounded by their own gravity. Pluto is spherical and therefore very different from asteroids and comets. Assigning it a minor planet number blurs the distinction between two very different types of objects.

Re: 9 Stories In Honor Of Our Favorite Ninth Planet — Pluto!

laurele — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 13:33:08 -0000

It's actually the IAU that doesn't want to update its knowledge. There is NO scientific data showing that Pluto somehow isn't a planet. New Horizons revealed Pluto to be a geologically complex world with planetary features including a layered atmosphere, floating glaciers, interaction between atmosphere and surface, windswept dunes, cryovolcanoes, and even a subsurface ocean. Yet the IAU has refused to consider this new knowledge and reopen the planet definition debate because they care more about their so-called "authority" than about scientific accuracy.

Re: 9 Stories In Honor Of Our Favorite Ninth Planet — Pluto!

laurele — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 13:30:59 -0000

Yes, it is a planet, and according to the geophysical definition, spherical moons, including Earth's moon, are secondary or satellite planets. With over 5,000 exoplanets and more dwarf planets found in our solar system, Pluto is no longer the only planet discovered by an American.

Re: 9 Stories In Honor Of Our Favorite Ninth Planet — Pluto!

laurele — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 13:29:15 -0000

There is nothing wrong with having 12+ planets. Most planetary scientists use the geophysical definition, according to which the solar system has a minimum of 13 planets and counting. The term "dwarf planet" was created by Alan Stern to designate a new subclass of planets, not to designate a class of non-planets. The four percent of the IAU who voted on this misused his term.

Re: 9 Stories In Honor Of Our Favorite Ninth Planet — Pluto!

laurele — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 13:27:49 -0000

ALL dwarf planets, including Eris, are planets. They are a subclass of planets just like dwarf stars are a subclass of stars, and dwarf galaxies are a subclass of galaxies.

Re: 9 Stories In Honor Of Our Favorite Ninth Planet — Pluto!

laurele — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 13:26:58 -0000

But we should care because the IAU definition does not at all accurately describe the behavior and condition of dwarf planets, which have the same processes and compositions as terrestrial planets. The only difference between the two is that dwarf planets are smaller. NASA's Dawn and New Horizons missions revealed Ceres and Pluto to be active geological worlds with complex planetary processes. Some of the processes seen on Pluto occur elsewhere in the solar system only on Earth and Mars. The major flaw in the IAU definition is that it defines objects by their location rather than by their intrinsic properties. The geophysical definition puts intrinsic properties first, which is why it recognizes dwarf planets as a subclass of planets.

Re: 9 Stories In Honor Of Our Favorite Ninth Planet — Pluto!

laurele — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 13:23:58 -0000

There is nothing "official" about the IAU decision, which was done by 4% of its members, most of whom were not planetary scientists but other types of astronomers. Their decision was immediately opposed by an equal number of professional planetary scientists in a formal petition led by New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern. To this day, most planetary scientists reject the IAU planet definition in favor of the geophysical one, which does not require an object to clear its orbit to be a planet and considers dwarf planets a subclass of planets.

An object does not "lose its planet status" because of a vote. The media has done a tremendous disservice by presenting one view in an ongoing debate as fact.

Re: Today in 2015: New Horizons at Pluto

laurele — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 12:07:01 -0000

The flyby was amazing, but I don't agree that this will be the only mission to Pluto in many of our lifetimes. There is already interest in returning to Pluto with an orbiter to answer questions raised by New Horizons' findings. I plan to stick around for the orbiter's findings.