Pluto downgraded backlash begins
Following our blog yesterday about the uncertain future of Pluto, 424 astronomers at the IAU General Assembly in Prague came to a decision based upon a series of resolutions. The small Kuiper Belt body has lost its planet status and has been demoted to Dwarf planet on the basis that Pluto has a highly elliptical orbit overlapping with that of Neptune.
The backlash has already begun against the argument that Pluto failed to dominate its orbit around the Sun (source:BBC) compared to other larger bodies in the solar system.
Plutos demotion is becoming a hot topic in the Blogosphere too, with a whiff of conspiracy and astronomers simply fed up with the Pluto talk when more pressing academic discussions were at hand in Prague.
Most people have taken the changes in their stride. The demotion of Pluto is, of course, a sore blow if you have a site named Nine Planets, you are an astrologer or a confused child at school.
Now that it's all over and the dust is settling in Prague, Space Blog is looking forward to some more detailed information about Pluto from NASA's New Frontiers mission.
