Farewell, Ninth Planet

Well, the decision has been rendered. I expect an immediate uprising from schoolchildren and educators worldwide. Meanwhile, the New Horizons spacecraft continues its long, cold journey to the newly decommissioned planet, regardless of astronomer infighting. NASA's Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission will arrive at Pluto in July 2015. It may not be a planet anymore, but I suspect Pluto will still be there for us, spinning resolutely in its lonely quadrant of space.

Maybe we should start calling all these orbiting objects "worlds" instead of "planets." Where's Carl Sagan when you need him?

Here's the official new definition of what constitutes a "planet" from the International Astronomical Union. And a wistful editorial from a Pluto-as-planet fan.

I must say, the decision makes complete sense to me, and I support it. But when I actually heard the news, I was surprised at the pang of sadness I felt. Seemed like it would always be there, you know? I guess it's still there; it just seems that much farther away.

In related news, a friend recently celebrated his 30th birthday.