There are now officially only 8 planets in our solar system...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5282440.stm

my very easy method just remembers...

oh darn it.

my very easy method just remembers...

oh darn it.

It's actually "My very easy method just speeds up naming [planets]"

Pluto is still recognised, it's just in a sub catagory now as a dwarf planet.

Pluto is still recognised, it's just in a sub catagory now as a dwarf planet.

But it is not a major planet (planet).

Not that I wish to sound harsh on Pluto (not that it cares, TBH), this is just as well. It's easier to keep track of eight planets than however many we'd end up with if we kept Pluto in the club.

And the (major) planets split nicely into two groups of four now.

But it is not a major planet (planet).

As I said, it is now classed as a dwarf planet.

I agree with their decision. Pluto was always the really odd planet in the whole bunch, and I'd rather have to learn about less planets than more.

Aw. Pluto used to be the weenie planet.
I guess that Mercury will have to fill that niche now, but he lives so close to the sun... he's too hardcore to be a proper weenie planet.

Aw. Pluto used to be the weenie planet.
I guess that Mercury will have to fill that niche now, but he lives so close to the sun... he's too hardcore to be a proper weenie planet.In fairness, Mercury is still smaller than Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, and Saturns largest moon, Titan.

Solar System Radii Top 20 (measurements in km)

1. Sun 695,000
2. Jupiter 71,492
3. Saturn 60,268
4. Uranus 25,559
5. Neptune 24,766
6. Earth 6,378
7. Venus 6,052
8. Mars 3,397
9. Ganymede (J) 2,634
10. Titan (S) 2,575
11. Mercury 2,440
12. Callisto (J) 2,403
13. Io (J) 1,821
14. Moon (E) 1,738
15. Europa (J) 1,565
16. Triton (N) 1,353
17? 2003 UB313 "Xena" ~1,200
18? Pluto 1,150

... hang on

++++, Wikipedia did my work for me. Here I was, sorting through data, and all that time...

*grumble grumble* link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_system_objects_by_radius

So long pluto? I thought it was just redefined as a dwarf planet..

15. Europa (J) 1,565
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wtf.. isnt that a fairly odd parent reference, europa being another planet?

So long pluto? I thought it was just redefined as a dwarf planet..

It has, however as the term planet is used for major planetary body, pluto is not a planet.

So long pluto? I thought it was just redefined as a dwarf planet..

Well, yes, we've not had it destroyed or anything. That would be ludicrous. But it's not a planet any more. It's a dwarf planet, which is not the same thing, in much the same way that a knuckle sandwich is not the same thing as a sandwich.

wtf.. isnt that a fairly odd parent reference, europa being another planet?

Nobody's saying Europa is a planet. That's just a list of things in the Solar System with large radii. Europa's a moon and still larger than Pluto; that's the point. The Sun is on that list -- that's clearly not a planet.

I bet Pluto's laughing that it got away with such a good status for so long.

My ego should be classified as a planet.

But it's not a planet any more.


surely it never was...

Does it actually matter what Pluto is?

Well, that depends. It matters in that we have to have defintions for words like "planet" or else they're utterly useless words, but it's pretty unlikely to significantly or directly impact on our lives.
surely it never was...
Not by today's definition, no. But it was classified as a planet. The shot's the same but we've moved the goalposts. It was on target, but now it's not.

Does it actually matter what Pluto is?
Shush. We're having fun here. :p

This is going to mess the rhyme up. Anyone got an alternative one?

I never knew a rhyme... I just remembered MVEMJSUNP as a word... now it'll be MVEMJSUN

I have always remembered the planets themselves.
(Just like one remembers the alphabet.)
I actually need to think more if I try to say the standard German mnemonic rhyme ("Mein Vater erklärt mir jeden Sonntag unsere neun Planeten").

And yes, you need consistent definitions.
A recent example is across the Rhhine between Switzerland ad Germany which has been built from both sides and a height difference of 54cm occured because those two countries use different mean sea levels (Mediterranean Sea in Marseille and North Sea in Amsterdam respectively).
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/23.29.html#subj6

Actually, they knew of the 27cm difference between those two mean sea levels, but wrongly corrected it, adding another 27cm instead of substracting it.

I never knew a rhyme... I just remembered MVEMJSUNP as a word... now it'll be MVEMJSUN
That sounds far harder than just remembering the names of the planets.

This is going to mess the rhyme up. Anyone got an alternative one?
There's a rhyme?

XENU KILLED PLUTO!!!! :o:o:o
REPENT! THE END IS NEAR!

I wonder how long it'll be until Uranus gets too small to be a planet.

XENU KILLED PLUTO!!!!.

Surely Xenu is dead by now. No living being could live for 75 million years.

Or at least is seems improbable.

I wonder how long it'll be until Uranus gets too small to be a planet.Given that Earth would have to be declassified first, it seems unlikely.

Given that Earth would have to be declassified first, it seems unlikely.

And about half the Solar System.

Now say

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles?

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nunchucks?

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Ninjas?

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Necktarines??

I wonder how long it'll be until Uranus gets too small to be a planet.
The very moment the object 07/2004-18430 develops a frontal lobe in his brain.

This one wins: "My Very Efficient Monkey Just Sorted Unused Napkins"

Does it actually matter what Pluto is?
Well, it depends. In the future when the average guy goes off in the space-canoe to get at some of those hot Plutonian women, he wouldn't really care if Pluto is a dwarf or whatever.
But to a businessman who wants to purchase some Plutonian acres to start harvesting Pluto-corn, it probably does matter, since he'd be up against the stiff competition of that delicious Moon-corn.

This one wins: "My Very Efficient Monkey Just Sorted Unused Napkins""So, Mr. Vole Eats Many A Juicy Slug Under Ned's Kolrabbi, Okay?"

Not many mnemonics put the Sun, Asteroid Belt, Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud in...

I didn't know what the Oort cloud was last year, let alone when they teach you the mnemonic (that's what I meant. Goodness knows where I got ryhme from) in primary school. :p ;)

There was a letter in The Times today saying that fans of Holst will be pleased by this news. It amused me.

"So, Mr. Vole Eats Many A Juicy Slug Under Ned's Kolrabbi, Okay?"

Not many mnemonics put the Sun, Asteroid Belt, Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud in...

"So, My Very Efficient Monkey Andrew Just Sorted Unused Nickel Kitchen Objects"

This topic scares me, I keep thinking your talking about me...