Page 5 - So... how many planets, again?

True true, he won't pick up on it right away.

And let's not forget that there is some precedent for this "demotion." Ceres was once considered a planet, back in the 1800s, until we discovered that it was simply the biggest single object in the asteroid belt.

So can't you just picture Pluto and Ceres getting together for some tea and sympathy? "There there Pluto, it's okay, I know what it's like to be demoted...you'll get over it after a while."

What I'm wondering is, hasn't Neptune *technically* not cleared all of the objects out of its orbit -- because Pluto crosses that orbit? I mean, it's the same argument that was used to knock Pluto down to dwarf planet status.

I don't know they are all chunks or rock or balls of glassing floating around each other.

I like the tea thing though

But ya if you are gonna use that argument for one, you think it would be used for the other as well. Oh no, we might be down to 7 planets pretty soon.

but neptune is a planet that just is unfortunate to have pluto cross it's path from time to time comments pass the earth every century or so, is earth not a planet anymore because it can't clear a comet?

Haha, if anyone ever suggested the earth wasn't a planet, I think a lot of people would flip out.

From the Planet earth, to The Dwarf planet earth. Doesn't sound as good

i like how i said comments, instead of commets.

Yeah, I guess next thing you know someone will say something about "we *really* need to define what we mean when we say 'clears everything in its orbit.'"

lol, thats pretty funny

Well I think this decision should of happened before when they made uranus a planet

haha! nice

clearing everything in its orbit would be like getting most of the debris out of the way. Pluto just has a weird orbit, and it's moving so fast that it might be affect by neptune's gravity, but it won't actually orbit around neptune.

"clearing everything in it's orbit" would refer to smaller debris, for if it's something too big then it'd destroy the planet to be.

I got an idea. to test nukes and rocket engines why not send them at pluto?

that's so useless man. Seriously.

Does anyone think it's possible for Pluto to collide with Neptune at some point or another? Thier orbits intersect. every few hundred years, pluto becomes the 8th farthest planet from the sun for about 20 years during it's 248 Earth Year orbit.



Judging by that photo and if you picture Pluto and Neptune moving in thier orbits in your head, It's entirely possible for pluto and Neptune to collide in the future. I wonder what would look like if that were to happen. And what effects it would cause around the solar system.

it has 2 chances every orbit of pluto. so...the odds of it happening increase every, what, 500 years? Or however long the orbit of pluto is.


is it possible? why wouldn't it be?