I just finished The Pluto Files. It is a light-hearted and serious account of how astrophysicist Tyson of the Hayden Planetarium single-handedly demoted Pluto's status as a planet.Here is an excerpt from the book, which quotes a humorous 2/16/01 NYT op-ed piece by Eric Metaxas on the mistreatment of Pluto with the following mock headlines:
"TROPICS OF CAPRICORN AND CANCER TO BE ABOLISHED
TOMATO UNEQUIVOCALLY DECLARED A VEGETABLE
GREAT LAKES TO BECOME FIRST FRESHWATER OCEAN
BEIGE TAUPE AND MAUVE LOSE COLOR STATUS
60S STARTED IN 1963
TEXAS DECLARES ITSELF A SUBCONTINENT
EUROPEAN MAPS TO DROP LICHTENSTEIN
METER AND YARD SHAKE HANDS
ASTERISK REMOVED FROM GERALD FORD'S PRESIDENCY
TAB AND ZIMA LOSE BEVERAGE STATUS"
CKY
Actually, Tyson did not single-handedly demote Pluto. In fact, he has publicly distanced himself from the controversial IAU demotion, done by four percent of its members and rejected by hundreds of professional astronomers, accurately labeling it as "flawed." The debate over Pluto's status is still very much ongoing.
ReplyDeleteFor another perspective on this issue, check out Dr. David Weintraub's "Is Pluto A Planet?"