If you missed it live, here’s the replay of this week’s Space Hangout. And don’t forget, on Friday, Feb. 17 at 18:00 UTC (1 pm EST, 10 am PST) I’ll be interviewing astronomer and Pluto killer (@Plutokiller) Mike Brown. To watch the Hangout on Air, circle Fraser on Google+ and watch his feed for the link to the Hangout. There you can join in on the conversation and post your questions for Mike by posting comments on the feed.
If you aren’t on Google+, you can also watch it live on the CosmoQuest Hangouts page, where there is also a place to post comments and questions. And we’ll also try to have a live feed on Universe Today. Just look for a video player in the upper right hand corner of the site and click the ‘play’ button. If you can’t watch live, we’ll post a recording of the Hangout later on UT, just like the one above.
These videos are terrific. I cannot for the life of me figure out Google+, so I really appreciate these videos.
Google+ is really amazing! I have use it before and I was impressed and I do believe that google will still surprising us soon! Thanks for this video!
Facts About Earth
Google+ is really amazing! I have use it before and I was impressed and I do believe that google will still surprising us soon! Thanks for this video!
Facts About Earth
Would you consider not invoking the “plutokiller” epithet in reference to Brown? It is confusing and misleading to many, especially kids who think Pluto really is no longer there, and it is both annoying and unprofessional. Brown discovered a planet, so Eris discoverer is much more appropriate. In doing public outreach about astronomy, I am disappointed to find very few members of the general public even aware of Eris’s existence–yet they all know about the debate over Pluto. This focus on demoting Pluto instead of celebrating the addition of new planets to our solar system lost us the chance to excite people with new planet discoveries, and that is a downright shame.
FYI, my Twitter handle is @plutosavior.
Yeah, the discovery of Eris, after leading to the redefinition of the word planet, ended up in something that can only be likened by a Marketing-campaign in order to sort-of discredit Pluto.
To me it is only about a ‘simple’ definition, and the force that the redefinition was executed with indicates there was to much more at stake here. I am however personally of the opinion that Pluto should never have been considered a planet in the first place, and that the only reason it was, was that it was wrongly suspected to be earth-sized from the get-go.
I was 12 (1978) when i calculated that in order for Pluto to have the then claimed characteristics (brightness, 7500km diameter) it would have to be darker than charcoal. How the scientific community could avoid the inconsistencies for soo long time beats me. The only realistic conclusion then would have had to be that it was much smaller, and hence likely not a planet to begin with, and that actual measurements had been taken.
Ergo: First the scientific community wanted Pluto to be a planet (for a long time) then the community realised the error and flipped to the other side, wanting Pluto to not be a planet. I hope wants and desire will be excommunicated from science and definitions.
Yeah, the discovery of Eris, after leading to the redefinition of the word planet, ended up in something that can only be likened by a Marketing-campaign in order to sort-of discredit Pluto.
To me it is only about a ‘simple’ definition, and the force that the redefinition was executed with indicates there was to much more at stake here. I am however personally of the opinion that Pluto should never have been considered a planet in the first place, and that the only reason it was, was that it was wrongly suspected to be earth-sized from the get-go.
I was 12 (1978) when i calculated that in order for Pluto to have the then claimed characteristics (brightness, 7500km diameter) it would have to be darker than charcoal. How the scientific community could avoid the inconsistencies for soo long time beats me. The only realistic conclusion then would have had to be that it was much smaller, and hence likely not a planet to begin with, and that actual measurements had been taken.
Ergo: First the scientific community wanted Pluto to be a planet (for a long time) then the community realised the error and flipped to the other side, wanting Pluto to not be a planet. I hope wants and desire will be excommunicated from science and definitions.