A planet by any other name....

Those of you who know me are expecting me to comment on the Pluto planet "demotion" fiasco. I actually commented on this whole issue of planethood way back in last September (check out the archives!).

I liked the original idea of calling a planet anything massive enough to make itself round and reinstating Ceres into the planet pantheon. However, I'm a minority of one when I say I think JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS, and NEPTUNE should be stripped of their planetary status. They're gas giants. If you can't land on it it's not a planet in my book.

I also didn't really like the idea that the object has to be dominant in it's region (which is what demoted Pluto and quashed Ceres' chances again) or the fact that it has to be orbiting a star (which screws up the status of exoplanets and massive objects like Titan and Earth's moon Luna).

I DO like the fact that astronomers are trying to sub-catagorized the idea of planets. Personally, I think they should use and expand on the Star Trek classifications, since a majority of them are Trekkies anyway, but thats just me.

So, here are what I consider to be the 'planets' of the Sol system:
Earth / Luna
Venus
Mars
Mercury
'Xena' 2003 UB₃₁₃
Pluto / * Charon
'Santa' 2003 EL₆₁
90377 Sedna
50000 Quaoar
1 Ceres

Planets of the Jupiter (Jovian) system:
* Ganymede
* Callisto
* Io
* Europa

Planets of the Saturn (Saturnian?) system:
* Titan
* Rhea
* Iapetus
* Dione

Planets of the Uranus styem:
* Titania
* Oberon
* Ariel
* Umbriel

Planet of the Neptune system:
* Triton


There we go. The Solar system has 8 planets plus 2 double-planets, and 4 sub-systems with four planets each (except Neptune, it only has one) giving us a grand total of 25 at the moment.

Sounds way more complex and terribly unlikely at the moment, but it gives the solar system a grand scope of uncharted mystery, don't it?



Lurker
(Must take over space program)

Zee Plan

During my party last week I made an anouncement: I will be taking one last semester of school as an undergraduate. I'll be taking at least 6 credit hours, and probibly doing 12 just for the heck of it.

Now my appartment contract runs out on Halloween, six weeks prior to the end of said semester. So I'm going to have to find some sort of alternate housing plan or perhaps get an extention on the lease.

Also, I think I'm going to get a job. This may be shocking to hear, as I've been a full time student for about a year now. The reasons are mostly financial, but if I'm graduating I want to have the jump into the formal job market a little less jolting. I don't know where I'll be working yet, but I'm thinking of going back to my prior place of employment or working on campus.


So, by the end of the year, I'll have graduaduated with both my degrees, be homeless, have some $ saved up (if I don't use too much to go see girlfriend), my Dad'll be back from Iraq, and maybe I'll have advanced another degree in Judo. Busy year.

After that, I'm moving. Out of state. To parts unknown. I'm going to try to con my way into graduate school to get my masters degree. If that doesn't work (or get's vetoed by GF), I'll still be moving to start my career someplace. Maybe Washington DC or LA or wherever I can find a job that helps me 'save the world' and still gives me $.


So, thats the plan. I should probibly get a more permanent means of trasportation too.


Lurker