Farewell, audieu, aufwiedersehen, goodbye...to Pluto, once a planet, now to be a dwarf...

I hope you all were able to imagine me singing that to the tune of the famous Julie Andrews song in the movie, Sound of Music. :)
Friends, I'm sure you have all heard by now the sad story of a once deemed planet with a name more recognizable for the Walt Disney dog than for the Roman God with which it also shares its name. Yesterday delegates to the meeting of the International Astronomical Union here in Prague dealt Pluto a heavy blow, and have removed it from the first class status of "planet" and have re-defined it as a "dwarf planet". What exactly a dwarf planet entails is still, from what the critics say, up for debate. Is Pluto now to be confused with one of Snow White's little friends? I guess only time will tell.

While I was holding out hope for the "mini-planet that would", deep down I was internally facing the reality that just maybe Pluto didn't belong in the exclusive group in the first place. No, I'm not a turn-coat, but you know... facing reality, facing the writing on the wall (or the solar system) can be a good thing. It's a healthy thing to revisit our past decisions and correct our mistakes when we realize we were in error.

I'm glad to know that Pluto has many sympathizers who will be there to soften the blow. In fact, she has company in the newly named category of "dwarf planets" and this group is only expected to grow in leaps and bounds in the near future. Just think of the wisdom Pluto will bring to the table, a former member of the galactic elite, she is sure to be a front runner amongst the planet dwarfs.

Okay, I never knew I could write so much about Pluto. We were never really that close so to say, but if you know my sports team favorites, you know I've always had a heart for the little guy. But, now I will stop and turn your attention to a REALLY LOVELY op-ed contribution by Tim Kreider in yesterday's New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/opinion/23kreider.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fContributors). Mr. Kreider is a cartoonist with a tremendous wit and real love for our demoted planetary friend Pluto. This will truly touch your heart!

By the way, I had great plans to hop the metro to the convention center to film part of the IAU conference (at least some of the signs and marketing), but alas, I did not make it. :( Instead I've included a picture here of the astronomical clock in Old Town Square.